U.S. soldiers injured in Balkans

A soldier came under fire north-east of Skopje

By CNN National Security Producer Chris Plante

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. soldiers have been seriously injured while on duty with KFOR peacekeepers in the Balkans.

A U.S. army sergeant was shot through the hand in Macedonia on Monday when the vehicle he was riding in came under fire.

A second U.S. soldier lost his foot after stepping on a landmine while on patrol in neighbouring Kosovo, officials at the Pentagon told CNN.

The soldier in Macedonia was riding in a car to the north-east of the Macedonian capital of Skopje when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the vehicle, a senior Pentagon official said.

His injuries were described as "non-life threatening."

A second U.S. soldier on patrol near the Kosovo town of Vitina lost a foot on Monday morning when he apparently stepped on a landmine, officials said.

That soldier was taken by medi-vac helicopter to the U.S. Army medical facility at Camp Bondsteel, the U.S.'s main military base in Kosovo, officials said.

Neither soldier was immediately identified by the Pentagon, pending notification of family members.