An Australian soldier was killed and another seriously wounded by an explosive device in Afghanistan, the Department of Defence said, Bloomberg reported.
Three Afghan civilians including an eight year-old boy were also hurt in the blast, which occurred early yesterday during an operation "against a compound of interest" in the Baluchi Valley north of Tarin Kowt, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston told reporters in Canberra today.
The dead 22-year-old, who wasn't immediately identified, is the 11th Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan, the military said in a statement on its Web site. Australia has about 1,550 soldiers under NATO command in Afghanistan.
Fighting in the country "will become more fierce as the summer progresses," Defence Minister John Faulkner said today.