3 Soldiers Hurt by Afghan Mine

Three special forces soldiers were wounded when their vehicle hit a land mine in western Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Wednesday. One soldier’s foot was later amputated.

The soldiers hit the mine Tuesday north of Farah, a provincial capital, said a U.S. military spokesman, Col. Roger King. He would not say whether they were Americans.

However, in New Zealand the defense force chief, Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson, said three New Zealand commandos were seriously wounded in a land mine explosion in Afghanistan. The two reports appeared to refer to the same incident, but King refused to confirm the nationality of the injured troops.

One victim’s foot was amputated by U.S. medical staff, King said. The other two victims were injured by shrapnel.

Also Wednesday, several rockets or mortars were fired at a U.S. base near Asadabad in eastern Afghanistan. They were fired from west of the base but missed by at least half a mile, King said. The base called in A-10 close air support planes, but they were unable to find the attackers.