It was confirmed on Wednesday that the Finnish ISAF peacekeeper who was wounded after coming under fire during a night exercise was in fact shot by an Afghan police officer. Notice to this effect was received by the Defence Staff in Helsinki during the afternoon.
According to Capt. Pasi Väätäinen, an investigation of the circumstances surrounding Sunday's incident is expected to take several weeks. It is thought likely the police officer mistook the peacekeepers for insurgents.
The soldier, serving with the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), was shot in the chest and upper leg while a Finnish detachment was engaged on a firing-range exercise after dark.
Speaking to the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) from Afghanistan, the commander of the Finnish contingent Capt. Pertti Pullinen noted that for some time it has not been standard operating procedure to notify local police officials in advance about the use of the range.
The Finnish peacekeeper underwent surgery at a Norwegian field hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan, and was medivaced back to Helsinki for further treatment on Tuesday. The soldier was said to be in a stable condition, but repatriation was essential to avoid the risk of wounds becoming infected.
