4 GIs Survive Somali Mine, Fight Off Rebel Ambushers

American soldiers hit a land mine set by Somali guerrillas on Thursday but survived the blast and fought off the rebels in an exchange of gunfire, a U.N. spokesman said.

The soldiers were identified as Lt. Gina L. Foringer, 24, of Hampton, Va., Spec. Susan M. Moore, 32, of Elk Ridge, Md., Pvt. Latanya Bernard, 21, of Lafayette, La., and Spec. Ronald Truesdale, 22, of Cassatt, S.C.

The explosion lifted the soldiers’ truck off the ground, and the four suffered minor injuries, said Maj. David Stockwell, the U.N. military spokesman. It occurred as they were approaching a logistics base in southern Mogadishu, he said.

The four came under small-arms fire after the explosion but were able to shoot back and drive to safety, Stockwell said. No Somali casualties were reported.

It was the second time in two weeks that a U.S. army vehicle was hit by a remotely detonated mine. Four American soldiers died on Aug. 8 when their vehicle was torn apart by a similar explosion.

The U.N. forces blame the faction of renegade warlord Gen. Mohammed Farah Aidid for both explosions, Stockwell said. Aidid is also blamed for the June 5 ambush killings of 24 Pakistani peacekeepers. The United Nations has ordered his arrest and offered a $25,000 reward for him.

The explosion broke a six-day lull in which there had been few significant attacks on U.N. forces.