Afghan blast injures German soldiers
Three German soldiers from Afghanistan’s Nato-led peacekeeping force have escaped serious injury after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in the northeastern province of Kunduz.
The German soldiers with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) suffered minor injuries from the blast on Friday evening, caused by an improvised bomb detonated by remote control while they were on a routine patrol, an ISAF spokesman said on Saturday.
“They were very minor injuries, just ringing in the ears from the blast,” a spokesman for ISAF said, adding the explosion took place about 800m from the soldiers’ base in Kunduz. One of the two vehicles in the patrol was damaged by the blast.
Taliban military commander Mulla Dad Allah Akhund telephoned Reuters to claim his forces carried out the attack on the patrol, but gave no other details.
Investigation under way
The ISAF spokesman said an investigation was under way, but a note found near the scene of the blast did not suggest the German troops were the specific target.
Previous attacks on the force have been blamed on Taliban fighters and their allies such as al-Qaida.
The Nato-led force, deployed after US-led troops ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001, has about 8300 soldiers operating in Kabul and nine northern provinces.