ROME (BNO NEWS) -- Two Italian soldiers were injured on Friday following an improvised explosive device attack in Zeerko Valley, about 27 kilometers (16 miles) from the city of Shindand in western Afghanistan, Italian officials said.

Italian military sources said the incident occurred at around 1 p.m. local time (08.30 GMT) when a convoy of ten armored cars were patrolling the area.

Two soldiers belonging to the Fifth Regiment of Climbers sustained shoulder and back injuries, and were immediately transferred to a military field hospital at a base of Herat. The explosion also caused damage to one of the military vehicles that were part of the convoy.

Since the start of the Operation Enduring Freedom, 34 Italian soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

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