Soldier's shooting under investigation
- From: ABC
- February 01, 2011
THE Department of Defence is to investigate the circumstances that led to an Australian soldier being shot during a clearance operation in Afghanistan.
The wounded soldier was shot while clearing a suspected insurgent cache area in the northern Kandahar province on January 28 and is currently in recovery.
Early reports suggest the incident was accidental and not a result of enemy action, chief of joint operations Mark Evans said in a statement, but defence will launch a formal inquiry.
"He owes his life to some fantastic work by his mates at the scene ..." Lieutenant General Evans said. "The inquiry will look at the incident, specifically how the soldier was shot.
"(But) at the moment, my immediate concern is for the health of the young soldier involved."
The young man is due to be transferred to Germany for further treatment once his condition stabilises. His family has been notified.
General Evans said the inquiry was expected to take several weeks.
