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Death takes Afghanistan toll to 39
Date
October 23, 2012
Dylan Welch
AN AUSTRALIAN special forces soldier has been killed by an improvised explosive device while searching a compound in southern Afghanistan, bringing the number of Australian commandos and SAS troopers killed in the 11-year war to 17.
The soldier was helping to clear a compound as part of an operation targeting a local Taliban network when the bomb exploded. He was evacuated to a nearby medical centre but his wounds were fatal.
The defence chief, General David Hurley, would not provide more details about his death as the operation was continuing, he said.
''His commanding officer described him as an exceptional soldier who will be remembered as genuine, honest and dedicated. His loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him,'' General Hurley said.
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The 24-year-old was either a member of the 2nd Commando Regiment or a trooper from the Special Air Service Regiment. Elements of those regiments are deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Special Operations Task Group based at Tarin Kowt, in the Australian-controlled province of Oruzgan.
They undertake joint operations with Afghan special forces, including the National Directorate of Security, in an area spanning Oruzgan and two bordering provinces, Kandahar and Helmand.
On August 30, two soldiers from the 2nd Commando Regiment were killed when the US helicopter they were flying in crashed in northern Helmand. The pair were part of a joint unit en route to a mission.
And those three are only the latest in a long list of Australian special forces soldiers who have died since the SAS first entered Afghanistan in October 2001. The death toll of 17 commandos and SAS troopers represents 44 per cent of the entire 39 Australian soldiers who have died during the war.
That is an unusually high percentage for a relatively small group of soldiers, and is representative of the high tempo of special forces operations during the Afghan war.
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, offered her condolences to the man's family. ''My thoughts are with them; my very loving thoughts are with them at this time of great stress and distress for them. My thoughts are also with his mates.
Death takes Afghanistan toll to 39
Date
October 23, 2012
Dylan Welch
AN AUSTRALIAN special forces soldier has been killed by an improvised explosive device while searching a compound in southern Afghanistan, bringing the number of Australian commandos and SAS troopers killed in the 11-year war to 17.
The soldier was helping to clear a compound as part of an operation targeting a local Taliban network when the bomb exploded. He was evacuated to a nearby medical centre but his wounds were fatal.
The defence chief, General David Hurley, would not provide more details about his death as the operation was continuing, he said.
''His commanding officer described him as an exceptional soldier who will be remembered as genuine, honest and dedicated. His loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him,'' General Hurley said.
Advertisement
The 24-year-old was either a member of the 2nd Commando Regiment or a trooper from the Special Air Service Regiment. Elements of those regiments are deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Special Operations Task Group based at Tarin Kowt, in the Australian-controlled province of Oruzgan.
They undertake joint operations with Afghan special forces, including the National Directorate of Security, in an area spanning Oruzgan and two bordering provinces, Kandahar and Helmand.
On August 30, two soldiers from the 2nd Commando Regiment were killed when the US helicopter they were flying in crashed in northern Helmand. The pair were part of a joint unit en route to a mission.
And those three are only the latest in a long list of Australian special forces soldiers who have died since the SAS first entered Afghanistan in October 2001. The death toll of 17 commandos and SAS troopers represents 44 per cent of the entire 39 Australian soldiers who have died during the war.
That is an unusually high percentage for a relatively small group of soldiers, and is representative of the high tempo of special forces operations during the Afghan war.
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, offered her condolences to the man's family. ''My thoughts are with them; my very loving thoughts are with them at this time of great stress and distress for them. My thoughts are also with his mates.
Death takes Afghanistan toll to 39
