Australian soldier dies in Iraq, accident blamed

MELBOURNE, Apr 22 (Reuters) An Australian soldier has died in Iraq after accidentally shooting himself while maintaining his weapon, Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said today.

The soldier, whose name was not released, was the first member of the Australian defence forces to die while serving in Iraq.

''The soldier was simply handling his weapon and maintaining it as soldiers are required to do and for some unexplained reason the firearm discharged and the bullet unfortunately entered the soldier's head,'' Nelson told reporters.

''There is at this stage no evidence at all to suggest this was anything other than the accidental firing of a weapon.'' Nelson said there would be an inquiry conducted by the Australian army as well as a coroner's inquiry.

The Defence Department said the solder, a member of the Sydney-based third battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), was taken to a United States military hospital where he died.

The soldier was serving with the Operation Catalyst Security Detachment (SECDET) in Baghdad. The incident happened yesterday inside the barracks where the soldiers live.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters in Honiara in the Solomon Islands that he was deeply saddened by the incident.

''My condolences go out to the soldier's family. This is the first Australian member of the Australian Defence Force who has been killed in Iraq,'' he said.

An Australian was killed in Iraq last year while serving with Britain's Royal Air Force.

Australia was one of the first countries to commit forces to the Iraq war and still has about 1,300 military personnel in and around Iraq.

Reuters DKS RS1033