U.S. soldier shot in leg during Afghan search mission

Afghan News Net ^ | 4/2/2004 | AP

[armymarinemom]

U.S. soldier shot in leg during Afghan search mission
2. April 2004, 19:02

AP - A U.S. soldier was shot in the leg during a routine patrol near a mountain village in lawless southeastern Afghanistan, and American forces responded by sending Apache attack helicopters into the area.

The attack occurred Thursday just as a group of about 100 U.S. soldiers prepared to leave after making camp outside Zunchora, a tiny cluster of mud houses just 1,500 meters (yards) from Pakistan's frontier.

An Associated Press photographer witnessed the shooting. The U.S. military embargoed the information until Friday, citing security concerns. The military didn't release the wounded soldier's name, but a spokesman said he had been treated and released.

"He is back with his unit ... but is on bed rest for the next several days," said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty.

The soldiers on the mission are from the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment based at Fort Richardson, near Anchorage, Alaska. They've been in Afghanistan since October.

The searches are part of a U.S. military strategy designed to cut off hiding places for al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives _ and to win over rural Afghans, whose support is crucial to building a more stable future.

The technique, called "area ownership," involves sending small units repeatedly to the same area to build relationships and make them safe for aid work.

The area in eastern Afghanistan has been the sight of frequent rocket attacks by suspected Taliban insurgents. The militants use the rugged mountains for cover, easily hopping back and forth between Pakistan and Afghanistan on a network of hidden paths.

The wounded soldier was evacuated to Camp Salerno, a forward operating base near the eastern city of Khost.

Shortly after the attack, two Apache helicopters scoured the nearby mountainside for suspects. Two men, both clad in traditional Afghan dress, were arrested and taken into custody, but Hilferty said in an e-mail to the AP on Friday the military had not found the assailant.

The soldiers continued their operations Friday, searching empty border-area caves that appeared to have once housed Taliban or al-Qaida fugitives. They found tunnels and small weapons caches, but no trace of militants.

Meanwhile, Afghan militia leaders in the southern province of Kandahar sent extra troops to the province's north on Friday, after an ambush blamed on Taliban insurgents killed two Afghan fighters.

The attack happened Thursday night in Miana Shien district, 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the provincial capital. About 30 Taliban opened fire on a vehicle carrying a militia commander and four militia fighters, killing two of the fighters, commander Khan Mohammed said.

[armymarinemom]

My son called this morning. Leg was not the part of the anatomy that he used to describe this soldiers injuries.

[Support Free Republic]

Rank	Location	Receipts	Donors/Avg		Freepers/Avg		Monthlies
36	Utah	50.00	3	16.67			90.00	4

Thanks for donating to Free Republic!

Move your locale up the leaderboard!