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Two Dozen Wounded Lybians Arrive In Boston For Treatment

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — More than two dozen Libyans wounded in recent fighting have arrived in Boston for medical care.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced in a Pentagon statement late Thursday that 24 seriously wounded Libyan fighters would be flown Saturday to a Spaulding Hospital in Massachusetts.

They said the wounded suffer from conditions that cannot be treated in Libya.

The statement said the emergency medical evacuations were requested by the Libyan rebels' Transitional National Council. It said the United States is offering the help as a small token of support because it is committed to Libya's future.

Spaulding Hospital president Maureen Banks says there is a reason Spaulding was selected to receive the injured soldiers.

The hospital will be treating "young men who have largely experienced wounds from gun shots but with complicated trauma from those gunshots," said Banks, who told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 that the fighters are suffering specifically from "nerve damage, a lot of orthopedic complexity."

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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