Bodies of Italian soldiers flown back to Rome

The bodies of two Italian soldiers killed in Afghanistan this week were flown back to Rome. The coffins, draped with Italy's flag, were saluted by President Giorgio Napolitano, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa, and the speakers of the lower and upper...

The bodies of two Italian soldiers killed in Afghanistan this week were flown back to Rome.

The coffins, draped with Italy's flag, were saluted by President Giorgio Napolitano, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa, and the speakers of the lower and upper houses of parliament at Rome Ciampino airport.

Sergeant Major Massimiliano Ramadu, 33, and Corporal Luigi Pascazio, 25, died after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle on Monday in northwestern Afghanistan. Both were from the 327th Engineer regiment.

Italy has 3,300 troops in Afghanistan as part of Nato's International Security Assistance Force and heads the western regional command based in Herat. Twenty four Italians have been killed in Afghanistan since 2004.

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