FED:Wounded Aust soldier flown to Germany

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2010
FED:Wounded Aust soldier flown to Germany

CANBERRA, Dec 23 AAP - An Australian soldier seriously wounded in an improvised explosive
device (IED) explosion in Afghanistan has been flown to Germany for specialist treatment.

The unnamed soldier was one of two members of the Mentoring Task Force (MTF-2) hurt
in separate IED blasts in the Baluchi Valley region of Oruzgan province on Sunday.

MTF-2 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Darren Huxley said one of the soldiers
received superficial wounds.

However, the other suffered serious blast and fragmentation wounds when the IED exploded
near an Afghan National Army foot patrol accompanied by Australian soldiers.

"He is still in a serious condition. He has been flown to Germany to the major NATO
hospital there," Lt Col Huxley said in a telephone interview from the Australian base
at Tarin Kowt.

"He has got some serious wounds but none of them are life-threatening.

"His mother has been flown out to be with him as well."

The soldier was initially treated at the medical facility at Tarin Kowt before being
transported to the medical facility in Kandahar for further treatment.

These were the first casualties experienced by MTF-2 which replaced MTF-1 in Oruzgan
from September. They brought the number of Australian wounded this year to 62, most from
IEDs.

Since Australia started operations in Afghanistan, 162 soldiers have been wounded.

In that time, 21 have been killed, 10 this year.

Depending on availability of flights into snow-shrouded Europe, Lt Col Huxley and Australian
Middle East Commander Lieutenant Colonel John Cantwell will seek to pay a Christmas visit
to the wounded soldier to wish him well.

AAP mb/nb

KEYWORD: AFGHAN AUST

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