Three American Soldiers Wounded in Afghan Ambush

KABUL (Reuters) - Three American soldiers received minor shrapnel wounds in southeastern Afghanistan when rebel forces ambushed their convoy, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

The convoy of U.S. and Afghan soldiers was attacked by small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades on Monday morning near Orgun-E in Paktika province, not far from the Pakistani border.

"Coalition forces responded with small arms and mortar fire as well as close air support aircraft," U.S. military spokesman Colonel Rodney Davis told a news conference. "The fighting lasted about two hours until the anti-coalition elements retreated."

Davis said three Americans received minor shrapnel wounds and have already returned to duty after treatment. The rebel forces retreated toward Pakistan, he said.

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