17th Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan

SYDNEY - Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Saturday an Australian soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, making him the 17th Australian casualty since 2001.

The 23-year-old was killed in Chora valley, Uruzgan province, early Saturday. Another soldier was injured.

Gillard made the announcement while attending a funeral in Darwin of another Afghan casualty, the third in the past week.

She said the deaths would not change her government’s policy: “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.”

“We pursue that mission because Afghanistan is a safe haven for terrorists,” Gillard said.

“I believe Australia, while mourning these losses, will understand our continuing determination.”

Defence minister John Faulkner said Australian troops were making steady progress in their mission to train a brigade of the Afghan National Army.

“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,” said Faulkner.

Australia has 1,550 troops deployed to Uruzgan province.