9 troops wounded in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

9 troops wounded in Afghanistan
October 18, 2007

KABUL, Afghanistan --Taliban used heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades to ambush a U.S.-led coalition patrol in southern Afghanistan that wounded nine troops, a coalition statement said Thursday.

The insurgents attacked the patrol near Kandahar city Wednesday, the statement said.

"The coalition forces repelled the attempted ambush using small arms fire to counterattack the enemy," it said.

None of the wounds sustained by coalition troops were serious, the statement said. There were no report of insurgent casualties.

In the east, a roadside bomb on a police vehicle close to the border with Pakistan killed an officer and wounded three others in Khost province, said Sher Ahmad Kochi, a police officer.

Taliban attacks against police have increased this year, with over 600 killed in militant attacks. More than 5,200 people have died this year as a result of fighting, according to an Associated Press count based on official figures, the deadliest year since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.


Article at: http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/10/18/9_troops_wounded_in_afghanistan/