5 Foreign Troops Killed in Afghanistan Bombings

23 June 2008

A series of roadside bombings have killed at least five foreign troops throughout Afghanistan, capping a violent week in the war-torn nation.

An Afghan commando with the 207th Commando Kandak provides security during a clearing mission in the Kapisa province of Afghanistan April 23, 2008. The commandos, supported by coalition forces, captured one insurgent, killed one other who tried to mount an attack and recovered weapons, improvised explosive device making materials and rockets.

In Saturday's deadliest incident, the U.S.-led coalition says four of its soldiers were killed in an explosion in the southern province of Kandahar. Militants also opened fire on the troops. The statement did not specify the soldiers' nationalities.

In eastern Paktika province, Polish defense officials say a roadside bomb Saturday killed a Polish soldier serving with NATO forces. Four other soldiers were also injured.

The U.S.-led coalition says another one of its soldiers was killed in a roadside bombing late Friday in the southwestern Farah province. The soldier's nationality was not released.

And Afghan police say two Afghan soldiers were killed and three others wounded Saturday, when a bomb exploded in the southern province of Zabul.

Separately, the U.S.-led coalition said that several militants were killed in operations throughout Afghanistan, including Kapisa and Kandahar provinces.

Coalition and Afghan forces detained five suspected insurgents during separate operations in Afghanistan’s Ghanzi and Paktia provinces, officials said.

Coalition and Afghan forces captured two insurgents Friday in Ghanzi province during an operation targeting foreign-fighter facilitators in the area.

In Paktia province June 17, coalition and Afghan forces captured three insurgents during an operation designed to disrupt foreign-fighter activities. Troops also confiscated large sums of Afghan and U.S. cash and three motorcycles believed to be used for militant operations, officials said.

Coalition forces Saturday also launched air strikes in eastern Khost province, targeting several militants near the Pakistani border.

Afghan and NATO forces conducted a major operation in Kandahar this week, clearing Taliban militants from the Arghandab district.

An Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, said at least 56 militants were killed in the operation, along with at least two Afghan soldiers.

Separately, six Afghan medical providers learned basic lifesaving skills at a Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team CPR course held at the Rokha Clinic in Rokha, June 18.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Janine Duschka, a Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team medical technician, teaches infant CPR to Afghan medical providers during a CPR class at the Rokha Clinic, Panjshir province, Afghanistan, June 18. This was the first of a 15-class CPR program that the Panjshir PRT is providing this year.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Janine Duschka, a PRT medical technician deployed from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., taught the course.

“It is important to teach the local medical providers because it gives them another tool to save lives,” said Duschka. “The tools they take home with them today are not ones they have to carry in their medical bags, and they’re not something that they have to spend their money on. They’re taking home knowledge that they can share with the rest of their staffs.”

The medical providers were from six different clinics and four of the province’s seven districts.

“This training is crucial because most of the province’s healthcare providers are in rural locations, so they need to be able to do this process [CPR] in order to get their critical patients to the hospital or to a better clinic,” said Dr. Shirdell, Panjshir Health and Medical Services officer.

The class is the one-day American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR course authorized by the Military Training Network in Bethesda, Md. It covers not only CPR for patients of all ages, but how to handle someone who is choking and the proper use of an automated external defibrillator unit.

The course also focuses on how to assess a patient to see if CPR is even necessary, and Duschka sees patient assessment as one of the main tools taught by the course.

“Now the medical providers know how to assess the signs the patient is giving instead of just reacting to a patient when they arrive,” said Duschka.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Janine Duschka, a Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team medical technician, teaches the jaw thrust maneuver to Afghan medical providers during a CPR class at the Rokha Clinic, Panjshir province, Afghanistan, June 18.

“Many of the Afghan medical providers I’ve dealt with in the past would have immediately started to give artificial breathing or CPR just because a patient’s eyes were closed or they were unconscious—even if the patients were breathing normally already.”

While some of the medical providers had learned prior forms of resuscitation, this course was new to most of them.

“They didn’t have a preconceived notion of what CPR should be, since they’ve never taken any of the older CPR courses, so it was actually easier for me to teach them than it is teaching American students,” said Duschka. “These providers all know how important this training is and they all came ready to learn.”

Some of the basic questions asked were, “How many times can I give a patient artificial respiration,” “How long do I continue chest compressions,” and, “Is there a sign in the patient for when I should start or stop CPR?”

This is the first class out of a 15-class schedule, and I think it went very well and we all learned something from the class, said Duschka.

While Duschka taught her ‘students’ the requirements from the course, they taught her some creative ways they’ve come up with to handle some of the trickier everyday medical situations.

For example, if a pregnant woman were choking, the providers said they’d use a head-scarf to wrap around the woman if they couldn’t reach their arms around her. Their solution uses an item that every Afghan woman keeps with her.

“Even though we’re taught to use everything and anything that you have available to save the patient, using the scarf is an ingenious option that I never would have considered,” said Duschka. “Although using the scarf is not a treatment of choice, the solution shows the providers clearly think outside of the box to help their patients in any way they can.”

After spending the day teaching and learning from the local providers, Duschka was comfortable they would be able to provide better care to anyone who came into their clinics.

“If I came into their clinics I know they could assess me, understand what was happening and treat me properly,” said Duschka. “Hopefully they won’t ever have to use this course, but I’m happy to have been able to give the extra knowledge.”

Shirdell agreed with Duschka.

“Whether they need to use [CPR] or not, they are learning that they always need to be in touch with the patient and it is important to know what to do with a patient in any emergency situation,” said Shirdell.

The PRT’s CPR training program will continue throughout the year, and Duschka hopes to get out to different clinics in each of the province’s seven districts.