Australian soldier deafened by IED blast

(AAP)- An Australian soldier in Afghanistan has gone temporarily deaf from the blast of an insurgent improvised explosive device (IED) earlier this week.

Defence said the unnamed soldier was involved in one of three IED incidents on
Monday. Those blasts killed one Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier and wounded
another.
"This soldier was not identified as a battle casualty at the time of the incident,"
defence said in a statement.
"On return of the patrol to a Forward Operating Base the soldier was subsequently
identified as suffering hearing loss."
As a precautionary measure, he was evacuated by helicopter to the coalition medical
facility in Tarin Kowt for further observation.
"The soldier is currently on restricted duties but is expected to return to duty
once his condition improves," defence said.
The soldier's family has been notified.
Defence said the soldier had been participating in a mentored patrol involving the
ANA and Australian and coalition soldiers.