Posted on 03/19/2009 1:16:18 PM PDT by Dundee
AUSTRALIAN troops have suffered their second fatality in Afghanistan in four days with the death of a soldier killed while trying to defuse a bomb.
The 10th Australian to die in Afghanistan, the soldier's loss follows that on Monday of 21-year-old Corporal Mathew Hopkins, who was killed in a firefight with the Taliban in Oruzgan province.
The chief of the defence force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said last night the soldier, a bomb disposal expert who is yet to be named, was killed instantly when an improvised explosive device blew up. The bomb was on a pathway being followed by Australian troops during a clearance operation...
...Houston would not reveal the location of the incident because the Australians involved were taking part in a bigger Coalition operation, which he did not want to jeopardise...
On Monday, Corporal Hopkins was killed while conducting a joint patrol with Afghan army soldiers in the Baluchi valley...
Air Chief Marshal Houston last night acknowledged it had been a difficult week for the military...
With the Australian death toll climbing, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon admitted last night it would become harder to maintain public support for military operations in Afghanistan.
...Barack Obama ...is expected [to ask for a] boost Australia's troop numbers in Afghanistan. Currently, 1100 Diggers are stationed in Afghanistan, most in Oruzgan province.
News of Australia's latest loss came hours after Corporal Hopkins's casket was carried by colleagues on to a waiting RAAF C-130 Hercules aircraft for the flight home...
The commander of Australia's Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Shane Gabriel, said the loss of Corporal Hopkins had been felt deeply.
Married last month, Corporal Hopkins leaves his widow, Victoria, and infant son, Alex.
...parliament yesterday, MPs observed a minute's silence as a mark of respect for the fallen soldier.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
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