Washington, May 04: A study on the injuries to the US troops in Iraq has shown the importance of having high-tech body armour for soldiers, a report said today.
The vast majority of American soldiers who suffered life- threatening wounds in combat in Iraq were hit in the limbs, not the torso, which was protected by the armour now worn by all American soldiers, the study found.
The first look at the injured soldiers found that 58 per cent were wounded in the hands, feet, arms or legs. Only 9 per cent were injured in the abdomen, chest, back or groin.
The study examined 118 army troops who suffered battlefield injuries that were severe enough to require their evacuation to Europe or the United States, The Wahington Post reported.
The military has not yet analysed the injury pattern in soldiers killed in combat. However, the paper says it is clear that most died of chest, abdominal or head injuries too severe to be prevented by protective vests and helmets under any circumstances. Among nonfatal wounds, however, the clear pattern suggests that the latest armour provided real protection.
"The few injuries seen so far in the Iraq operation," said Col Terry J Walters, the physician who is chief of health policy in the office of the army's surgeon general, "indicate the effectiveness of body armour."
The body armour for american troops has steadily become better and lighter. In the 1991 war against Iraq, all American troops were provided with body armour, including vests made of the synthetic fabric Kevlar that were capable of stopping shell and grenade fragments and, when fitted with ceramic plates, could stop bullets.
Bureau Report
