• Sweden edition

Swedish soldiers shot in Afghanistan firefight

Published: 9 Oct 09 10:14 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/22558/20091009/

Two Swedish soldiers are recovering after sustaining injuries in a firefight in the vicinity of Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan late on Thursday evening.

The Swedish soldiers were patrolling with Finnish soldiers when their ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) armoured vehicle came under rocket fire. The soldiers were then attacked with high calibre rifles.

In the ensuing skirmish one Swedish soldier was shot in the leg while another was shot in the hip.

"He was operated on during the night and the condition of both is described as stable. They are currently in the German field hospital in Marmal," Philip Simon at the Swedish defence forces told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.

The soldiers engaged the enemy fighter and at least three of the attackers were reported to have been killed.

After the exchange of fire the operation continued its patrol as scheduled.

Swedish forces have been operating in Afghanistan since 2002. Since then two Swedes have been killed.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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14:16 October 9, 2009 by DaTraveler
Sweden better up their troop contribution to the area along with Finland and Germany cause the Taliban and related insurgent groups are steping up and are going to push them all the way. A few combat operations involving a few hundred troops would pacify if only they had enough troops to maintain bases in the local population.
09:05 October 10, 2009 by wenddiver
Our prayers will be with your wounded tonight and all the young men so far from home defending FREEDOM in Afganistan. The world is truely blessed to have men and Women brave enough to pursue an enemy so completly barbaric. May a benevolent God watch over them as they irradicate Al-Queda/the Taliban and bring schools and Freedom to the people of afganistan, both Male and Female.

Get well soon!
11:04 October 10, 2009 by arslan11
@wenddiver..... who are you to decide what is freedom for Afghan people??? Capture a Country and then say we are doing for their freedom?? When Russia did this the whole west was chanting them as illegal occupation of Afghanistan... Double Standards
02:47 October 11, 2009 by wenddiver
@arslan11

Dear Arslan,

I hope that post was a joke. Surely, you know the difference between stealing a nation for the profit of an evil empire enslaved by one of the most horriblre political ideologys ever, bent on world domination and the world responding to the murder of 3,000 civilians by a group of religous crazies bent on converting the world or killing the world. If not you should get off the computer and get along to a school.

Why is it Freedom, one word choice! Whether the NATO troops in your area of Afganistan are Americans, Swedish, German, British, French, Italian, Canadians, Japanese, Danes or whatever, they are offering a choice of Free elections, with multiple parties, multiple points of view, multiple versions of Freedom.

What isn't on the table is the terrorism, murder, kidnapping, and throwing acid in the faces of little school girls to prevent women from going to school, not to mention world wide acts of terror.

Maybe the Afgans will get up and go to mosque when the minaret calls, our countries will fight to preserve that right, but if they want to watch TV instead or sleep in without being shot in a stadium by the Taliban, the countries listed above are willing to fight to insure that Freedom also.

The Allies will be only to glad to leave once Al Queda and the Taliban are gone.
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