A New Zealand military patrol in Afghanistan has escaped unscathed after a bomb was triggered in front of a vehicle travelling in a convoy.
A patrol from the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) in Afghanistan triggered the improvised explosive device in the north west of Bamyan Province last night.
This followed an incident involving another PRT patrol last week in the same area where an exchange of small arms fire with suspected insurgents occurred, the New Zealand Defence Force said.
The explosive device was reportedly detonated in front of a vehicle in the convoy, but resulted in no injury to personnel or damage to the vehicle.
The patrol cleared the area of immediate threat and withdrew to a secure base at a local township.
"How the device was initiated or who was responsible is being investigated," defence force spokesman Captain Zac Prendergast said.
The NZPRT has been in Bamyan Province since September 2003, supporting the provincial and local government by providing advice and assistance to the Provincial Governor, Afghan National Police and the district sub-governors.
Four New Zealand soldiers were fortunate to escape without injury after a bomb exploded next to their patrol vehicle in March last year.
The device went off beside one of the vehicles, damaging the front and smashing the windscreen, but no shrapnel reached the four occupants.
There are approximately 140 army, navy and air force personnel involved in New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team operating in Bamyan Province.
- NZPA
