Aussie soldier killed in Afghanistan

An Australian soldier has been shot dead in a firefight with Taliban insurgents,
becoming the ninth digger and the first member of a new training team to die in
Afghanistan.
The soldier was a member of a combined Australian and Afghan National Army foot
patrol near the village of Kakarak, 12km north of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt.
On Monday afternoon Australian time, a group of some 20 insurgents opened fire with
small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades, Defence head Angus Houston said.
"The patrol returned fire and, sadly, an Australian soldier was killed as a
consequence of this engagement," he said.
The soldier was evacuated by helicopter but declared dead on arrival at the
coalition hospital at Tarin Kowt.
No other Australian soldiers were hurt.
Taliban casualties are unknown, but they could be substantial as a pair of Apache
helicopter gunships were summoned to attack enemy positions during the protracted
fighting.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the soldier's name and other personal details had
been withheld at the request of his family.
The soldier was a member of the 70-strong Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT)
- a part of the 400-member Mentor and Reconstruction Task Force - mainly drawn from
the Darwin-based 7th Battalion (7RAR).
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said a fine and courageous soldier had died in Afghanistan
and the nation mourned his death.
"Those who chose to wear that uniform served to protect and defend our nation, some
on foreign soil in some of the harshest environments on earth," he told parliament.
"They face daunting challenges every day and today we are again reminded that some
who wear the uniform of Australia make the ultimate sacrifice."
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said the nation was immensely proud of the men
and women of the defence force for their service and sacrifice.
"In Afghanistan they are fighting in defence of our values of liberty and democracy,
wearing our uniform, serving under our flag against the world's most dangerous and
treacherous enemy.
"All Australians are indebted for this the greatest of sacrifices in our name," he
said.
The OMLT was formed last year to train the Afghan military, with members
participating in operations alongside their trainees, the first time Australian
troops have done this since the Vietnam War.
The Australia Defence Association says the added danger of mentoring foreign troops
came from the requirement to accompany them into battle.
"You do this so you can validate the training and so you can provide some tactical
stiffening so you can better measure their leadership and also to give you some
credibility as a trainer," executive director Neil James said.
Mr James said the additional risks were demonstrated by the experience from Vietnam.
"You only have to look at the historical parallels. The Australian Army Training
Team (AATTV) in Vietnam was the most highly decorated unit in Australian military
history," he said.
The AATTV never numbered more than 200 at any time but team members won four
Victoria Crosses. Thirty-three died, many while fighting alongside South Vietnamese
soldiers.
Australia's defence minister says infantry numbers in Afghanistan are now about
right but the government is keeping the situation under review.
Joel Fitzgibbon says force protection measures should be left to commanders on the
ground in Afghanistan and not dictated by politicians in Canberra.
Members of the training team have previously complained to visiting reporters about
the adequacy of their infantry protection while patrolling with Afghan National Army
units.
Mr Fitzgibbon said the government reviewed the Australian employment in Afghanistan
on a very regular basis.
"We of course are guided by our chief military advisers, in particular the chief of
the defence force, whose advice is at this stage our infantry numbers are about
right but we will continue to keep that under review," he told Sky News on Tuesday.
Mr Fitzgibbon said it was up to the commanding officer on the ground to assess the
circumstances and make final decisions about numbers of soldiers providing security
for training team members.
"You don't want politicians in Canberra determining those ratios in theatre," he said.
"It depends on the circumstances, the environment, the level of threat. It is up to
the commanders to make those decisions."
Mr Fitzgibbon said progress in Afghanistan had been all too slow and he had been
active in calling for a properly resourced civil, military and political campaign to
improve progress.
"The key aim is to ensure that the Afghan government in the medium to long term is
capable of enforcing its own rule of law and taking care of its own security," he
said.
Mr Fitzgibbon said this could take a long time.
"Afghanistan is a very, very difficult place and the issues there are many and
complex but this is important," he said.
"It goes directly to the security of Australia and Australians and Australia's
interests and of course we have go to hang in there.
"I don't think are doing well in this war, I don't think we are necessarily winning
or losing this war."