Oct 8, 2007, 23:36 GMT
Sydney - An Australian soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, the Defence Force confirmed Tuesday.
The soldier, driving a light-armoured vehicle, was killed in the southern province of Oruzgan.
Defence Force head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said that a soldier wounded in the attack was expected to make a full recovery.
'This incident is a tragic reminder of the dangers Australian Defence Force personnel face in serving our nation,' Houston said. 'It highlights that Afghanistan a very dangerous place.'
In response to speculation that the roadside bomb was manufactured in Iran, Houston said he would make no comment on the origin of the landmine until he received the report of an investigation unit.
The last time an Australian soldier died in action in the Middle East was 2002 in Afghanistan in another roadside bombing.
Attacks have been increasing in southern Afghanistan by the insurgent Taliban, the militant movement whose regime was ousted six years ago by a US-led coalition. Last month, two Australian soldiers were wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
Almost 1,000 Australian soldiers are deployed in Oruzgan province, providing security for reconstruction teams. They are working in partnership with Dutch troops.
The Australian soldier's death takes to 181 the number of foreign troops to die so far this year in Afghanistan.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said that preventing a resurgence of the Taliban remains a crucial mission.
'We're in Afghanistan because we are involved in a struggle for freedom, not only of the Afghans themselves but of the free world,' he said.
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