Australia suffers first combat death in Afghanistan

By Michael Perry

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia suffered its first combat casualty in Afghanistan or Iraq on Monday since sending troops to the two countries after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The Australian defense department said the soldier was one killed and another wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated next to their vehicle in Uruzgan province in Afghanistan.

"This is a tragic day for the Australian defense Force and our thoughts are with the families and friends of the two soldiers involved," it said in a statement. The department said the wounded soldier's injuries were not life-threatening.

Australia, a close U.S. ally, was one of the first nations to commit troops in late 2001 to the U.S.-led war to oust the Taliban and al Qaeda militants from Afghanistan. It has about 1,500 troops in and around Iraq.

The soldier's death precedes national elections in Australia in which the Iraq war will be a major issue, with opposition Labor promising to withdraw troops from Iraq but keep soldiers in Afghanistan.

Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, who is expected to call a poll within days to seek a fifth term, had not previously had to face a combat fatality in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

An Australian special forces soldier was killed in 2002 when his vehicle hit a landmine in southern Afghanistan, but Monday's death was the first from a direct attack.

Opinion polls show Australians are widely opposed to the Iraq war and have begun to lose faith in Howard's tough security stance, which has won him previous elections.

Taliban insurgents have been intensifying their attacks over the past 20 months, the bloodiest period since the U.S.-led troops overthrew Taliban's government in 2001.

Last month, three Australians were wounded during a firefight with Taliban forces near Tarin Kowt, also in Uruzgan province, local Australian media reported.

In August, two Australian troops were wounded in a shootout with enemy militants, and in June, an Australian survived a car bomb attack that killed a Dutch soldier and six civilians.

Australia has about 950 troops deployed in Afghanistan, but the number will grow to more than 1,000 by the middle of 2008.

Australia is sending special forces commandos back to Afghanistan to help hunt down the leaders of the resurgent Taliban as part of a doubling of Australia's troop numbers there announced earlier this year.

When last deployed in Afghanistan, Australia's special forces were sent on clandestine missions penetrating deep in to the Taliban heartland, spending weeks at a time away from their base.

They were involved in heavy fighting and 11 Australians were hurt, although none of the injuries was serious.