Swedish soldiers 'unstable' after Afghanistan explosion
The conditions of two of the soldiers injured in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan on Wednesday are reported to have deteriorated overnight. In a statement, he Swedish Armed Forces revealed that a 22-year-old stationed in the Torne Valley and a 30 years old from Luleå, both in northern Sweden, are in an unstable condition.
Head of press Torbjörn F. Gustafsson was unable to confirm whether their injuries are life-threatening.
“Doctors say their situation is unstable,” he told news agency TT.
“Unstable means that they have become worse.”
Two aircraft with medical personnel have been dispatched to bring home four of the five Swedish soldiers involved in the incident and fly them directly to Uppsala University Hospital.
“The goal is to get them home as quickly as possible,” said Bertil Starfelt, staff doctor at Sweden’s military headquarters.
“At the moment we cannot confirm which of the soldiers will be transported first,” he added.
“That decision will be taken after a medical assessment in Afghanistan.”
In total around 500 Swedish soldiers have been deployed to Afghanistan. After the incident took place the military followed routine procedures for responding to the situation.
“Talks and a debriefing were held throughout the whole battalion,” Gustafsson said.
The soldiers were on patrol at around 10am Swedish time on Wednesday when they hit a roadside bomb west of Mazar-e-Sharif, where Swedish troops are stationed.
The explosion also claimed the life of a local foreign language interpreter.
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In a statement, he Swedish Armed Forces revealed that a 22-year-old stationed in the Torne Valley and a 30 years old from Luleå, both in northern Sweden, are in an unstable condition.
Head of press Torbjörn F. Gustafsson was unable to confirm whether their injuries are life-threatening.
“Doctors say their situation is unstable,” he told news agency TT.
“Unstable means that they have become worse.”
Two aircraft with medical personnel have been dispatched to bring home four of the five Swedish soldiers involved in the incident and fly them directly to Uppsala University Hospital.
“The goal is to get them home as quickly as possible,” said Bertil Starfelt, staff doctor at Sweden’s military headquarters.
“At the moment we cannot confirm which of the soldiers will be transported first,” he added.
“That decision will be taken after a medical assessment in Afghanistan.”
In total around 500 Swedish soldiers have been deployed to Afghanistan. After the incident took place the military followed routine procedures for responding to the situation.
“Talks and a debriefing were held throughout the whole battalion,” Gustafsson said.
The soldiers were on patrol at around 10am Swedish time on Wednesday when they hit a roadside bomb west of Mazar-e-Sharif, where Swedish troops are stationed.
The explosion also claimed the life of a local foreign language interpreter.
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