Four U.S. soldiers injured over unfortunate helicopter landing

Black Hawk helicopter made a hard landing during combat operations in Afghanistan, injuring four U.S. soldiers, the military said Monday. The incident occurred in southern Uruzgan province on Saturday, U.S. military spokeswoman Sgt. Marina Evans said.

A military statement said three of the injured were treated and released while the fourth was in stable condition at a nearby base.

"In combat there are a lot of risks. Here in Afghanistan, we sometimes have to land on rocky, uneven terrain," commander Lt. Col. Donald Bolduc was quoted as saying in the statement, according to the AP.

The cause of the incident was under investigation and the helicopter was taken to a nearby airfield for repair, it said.

The military has suffered a number of crashes of helicopters this year, including the shooting down of a Chinook which killed 16 special forces troops in June.

T.E.