An Australian soldier was killed yesterday morning on a mission in the Chora Valley in Afghanistan.
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The soldier was on his seventh tour to Afghanistan. He was shot in the chest.
The Special Forces soldier was aged 40, joined the army in 1990, and was a member of the Perth-based Special Air Service regiment.
"This man was a soldier's soldier," Chief of the Defence Force General David Hurley said.
The soldier's family has asked for privacy and that his name not be released yet.
"This is a dreadful blow for our nation," Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters today.
The soldier was the 33rd ADF member killed in Afghanistan since 2002.
General Hurley said it was "probably unusual" that the soldier had been on his seventh tour, but said that he would have volunteered.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the fatality had been Australia's first in eight months.
General Hurley said the soldier was shot while on a partnered mission with Afghan security forces against insurgents and was wearing body armour at the time. The overall operation is still ongoing.
"Despite the best efforts of all, attempts to resuscitate the soldier were unsuccessful," General Hurley said.
An ADF military dog was also shot and killed during the engagement.
The soldier's colleagues described him as a "highly professional operator".
General Hurley said he was saddened by the news and sent his condolences to the Defence community.
"I hope they can find comfort in the knowledge that this soldier served his country with pride and with distinction," he said.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott praised the "extraordinary work" of the soldier.
''We mourn his passing, we grieve with his friends, with his family, with his comrades, but we utterly respect the job that he was doing,'' Mr Abbott told reporters in Darwin.
Greens leader Christine Milne also sent her condolences.
"The community will be saddened again today at the death of a 33rd Australian soldier in Afghanistan, and we join in sending our deepest condolences to his family," Senator Milne said in a statement.
Yesterday, Defence announced that an Australian was wounded and another "much loved’" military dog was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Afghanistan.
The soldier sustained minor injuries on Monday last week and has since returned to full duties. Some 1550 Australian troops are currently in Afghanistan.
Australia is due to transition out of Afghanistan by 2014, as international troops hand over to the Afghan security forces.
