South Asia News

Three Italian soldiers injured in Afghan gunbattle

Jul 16, 2010, 10:49 GMT

Rome - Three Italian soldiers were injured Friday in a gunbattle with insurgents in western Afghanistan, officials said.

News reports said one of the Italians was in a serious condition, but a military spokesman said he could not confirm or deny the reports.

An Italian military helicopter was also damaged in the clash which took place near Bala Murghab, a spokesman with NATO's Regional Command West in Herat, Antoni Caliandro, told Italian television news channel Sky TG 24.

In a separate incident earlier Friday in Herat, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a Regional Command West base, injuring three Afghan soldiers, Caliandro said.

Around 3,000 Italian soldiers are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of the West's military mission.