Soldier's death not to change Australia's commitment to war in Afghanistan
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The death of another Australian soldier will not change the Australian government's commitment to the war in Afghanistan, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Saturday.
The 23-year-old soldier was killed in a roadside bombing Friday night, which is the sixth death over a month and takes the Australian death toll in Afghanistan to 17. Another 143 soldiers have been injured in Afghanistan since 2001, including 43 people this year alone.
The latest death increases pressure on the government to withdraw troops from the war-torn nation, however, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the loss increased the determination of the soldiers serving in Afghanistan to get the job done.
Gillard said the government had always been frank with the Australian people about the difficulty of the task in Afghanistan "but we are proceeding through it."
"There will be Australians today who are asking themselves in the face of this loss why as a country do we continue to pursue our mission there," said Gillard in Darwin ahead of the funeral of one of three Australian soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last month.
"We pursue that mission because Afghanistan is a safe haven for terrorists. I believe Australia, while mourning these losses, will understand our continuing determination," she said.
Asked about the level of protection for Australian troops involved in the reconstruction and training mission, Gillard said "our soldiers are going about this difficult and dangerous task as best it can be done."
"But there is no degree of skill or training or equipment that can take away the dangers. This is dangerous work and we are seeing the outcome of the dangers that our soldiers face," she said.
Defense Minister John Faulkner said there had been steady progress in Afghanistan, where Australian troops are training the fourth brigade of the Afghan National Army, and he expected that in two to four years the mission would transit to a supporting role.
"I have acknowledged progress is not as fast as some would like to see but I still believe there has been a change in momentum in Afghanistan," Senator Faulkner told Australian Associated Press.
