Five Canadian soldiers were wounded in southern Afghanistan on Thursday morning in a roadside bombing.
The five soldiers were travelling with an Afghan interpreter on a routine patrol near Gumbad, northeast of Kandahar, when their armoured LAV III was attacked.
CBC reporter Peter Armstrong said a fire broke out inside the vehicle, setting off ammunition stored there.
The soldiers and the interpreter, who was also wounded, were taken from the site by a U.S. military helicopter to the hospital at the Kandahar base.
All were listed in stable condition with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.
Lieut. Mark McIntyre said four of the wounded soldiers have already called home to tell their families that they were OK.
The LAV III was damaged in the initial blast and coalition forces later destroyed it rather than take it away.
Canada has about 2,200 soldiers stationed in Kandahar. According to the Department of National Defence, another 85 soldiers are split between Kabul and Bagram performing various tasks.
There is, for example, a special advisory team to the Afghan government and other Canadian soldiers with NATO's International Security Assistance Force Headquarters.
Since 2002, 16 Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.
On May 17, Capt. Nichola Goddard became the first female Canadian combat soldier killed in action. Goddard was involved in a battle with Taliban insurgents.
Related
Video
- Peter Armstrong reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 2:06)
play: real »
play: real »
play: quicktime »
More World Headlines »
- Bush open to ideas on Iraq war as power shifts in U.S.
- U.S. President George Bush pledged Thursday to continue the war in Iraq, but said he is open to ideas on how the U.S. can gain the upper hand in the conflict.
- Olmert expresses regret, says 'technical error' killed 18 in Gaza
- The Israeli artillery barrage that killed 18 civilians in the Gaza Strip as they slept this week was caused by a "technical error," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday.
- Kenyan police regain control in violent Nairobi slum
- After five days of gang violence in a Nairobi slum that left at least seven people dead, Kenyan officials said on Thursday that calm has returned.
- Rumsfeld says he'll 'let history worry' about his legacy
- Former U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld showed flashes of his defiant and combative style on Thursday when questioned about his legacy, less than 24 hours after he resigned.
- Clinton weighs in on Afghanistan, U.S. elections
- Former U.S. president Bill Clinton offered his take on the war in Afghanistan and the midterm elections south of the border during two Canadian fundraisers Wednesday.
