Thirteen Canadian soldiers sustained minor injuries when three armoured vehicles crashed into each other in Kandahar early Sunday.
The accident occurred on the same day a military helicopter crashed in southeastern Afghanistan, killing eight U.S. troops and wounding 14.
The traffic accident occurred before dawn as a convoy of recent arrivals moved between bases, said Maj. Dale MacEachern, a Canadian Forces spokesperson.
"I can't discuss the nature of (individual) injuries to the soldiers for reasons of privacy, but I can say they were all minor injuries,'' he said.
"All of these soldiers are expected to go back to work.''
After the crash, the injured soldiers were all taken to the Canadian-led provincial reconstruction base for treatment.
However, as a precaution, six of them were later air lifted to Kandahar Airfield's NATO hospital for further observation.
"It's just to be safe to make sure our soldiers are OK,'' said MacEachern.
The soldiers were travelling in light armoured vehicles, or LAV IIIs when the crash occurred. The LAVs incurred minor damage.
All of the injured soldiers are new to the theatre -- a fact not lost on officials who point out that every new troop rotation has seen a series of vehicle accidents.
"Our soldiers receive excellent training before they're deployed to theatre, but I don't think anything can quite fully prepare anyone for the nature of the roads here in Kandahar,'' said MacEachern.
Challenges for new arrivals to Afghanistan include a lack of speed limits, chaotic traffic and minimal enforcement.
The risk has proved fatal to Canadian troops. Last August Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt was killed in a truck crash. Prior to that, Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson, Cpl. Paul Davis and Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield were all killed in vehicle accidents.
Canada has roughly 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
Helicopter crash
Meanwhile, the survivors of Sunday's helicopter crash were being treated for their injuries caused when the helicopter crashed after reportin engine failure, the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement.
Twenty-two passengers were on board when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter had a "sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed," the statement said.
"It was not enemy fire related," said Col. Tom Collins, spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. "The pilot was able to radio in that he was having engine problems. We're confident it was not due to enemy action."
The helicopter crashed in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province, about 50 yards from the main highway between Kabul and Kandahar, and appeared to be destroyed and scattered in several pieces.
U.S. and Afghan military blocked reporters from entering the crash site.
The incident Sunday was the first U.S. military helicopter crash since May 2006, when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter that attempted a nighttime landing on a small mountaintop crashed in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. soldiers.
In 2005, a U.S. helicopter crashed in Kunar after apparently being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing 16 American troops.
With files from The Canadian Press
