Australia suffers first combat death in Afghanistan

SYDNEY, Oct 8 (Reuters) Australia suffered its first combat fatality in the war on terror today when a soldier was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan, said the Australian defence department.

Another soldier was wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated next to their vehicle in Oruzgan province, the department said in a statement.

Australia, a close US ally, was one of the first nations to commit troops in late 2001 to the US led war to oust the Taliban and al Qaeda militants from Afghanistan. It also has about 1,500 troops in and around Iraq.

REUTERS PD BD1937