THE death of a soldier in Afghanistan is a terrible reminder for the families of Australia's fallen soldiers, Defence Minister Stephen Smith says.
It was confirmed on Sunday that a special forces soldier from the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment had been killed during a firefight with insurgents in Oruzgan province.
"This will be a terrible blow to the family concerned, but also a terrible reminder to the other 39 families (who have lost loved ones)," he told reporters in Perth.
Another special forces soldier was shot and seriously wounded, while an airman received minor injuries in the firefight.
Mr Smith said the objective of preventing Afghanistan from again becoming a terrorist hotbed remains, despite the commando being killed in action.
"Our objective in Afghanistan has always been to prevent the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area from again becoming a breeding ground for international terrorists," he said.
"That is our mission. We believe we have made very good grounds on that front."
However, Mr Smith said to make sure their impact endured after the forces left the country, the Afghans themselves would have to take responsibility for their own security and the area would need to strive for peace and reconciliation.
"It's in our national interest to continue," he said.
"By finishing the job, we'll transition in Oruzgan by the end of this year.
"We'll then need to see what arrangements are entered into between the United States and Afghanistan before making a judgement about what additional contribution, if any, we could make after all of Afghanistan transitions at the end of 2014."
Afghanistan is now in its so-called "fighting season" but most Australian soldiers are not in the highest risk areas anymore, Mr Smith said.
However, there was always a high risk for special forces personnel, he said.
"The risk profile has changed, but Afghanistan continues to be a difficult and dangerous place," he said.
The special forces soldier is the 40th digger to have died in Afghanistan since Australia became involved in the conflict.
He was on his fifth tour of Afghanistan, and had previously served in Iraq and East Timor.
His next of kin had been informed, and asked that he not be named.
Arrangements will be made for his body to be returned to Australia next week.
The decorated soldier is the first Australian digger to die in Afghanistan since Corporal Scott Smith was killed by an improvised explosive device last October.
The Australian troops were on a joint operation with their Afghan counterparts when they clashed with insurgents at around 3pm (AEST) on Saturday.
They were trying to disrupt a known insurgent network operating in southern Afghanistan's Khod Valley, where they were influencing insurgent activity across the region.
The seriously wounded special forces soldier underwent surgery, but was expected to make a full recovery.
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