Australians Mourn Five Dead in Afghanistan

The death of five Australian soldiers in Afghanistan has prompted Prime Minister Julia Gillard to assure Australian people the army’s operations in the war-torn country are making progress.

The men were killed in two unrelated incidents. Three were killed and two more injured by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform.

Two were killed when their US Black Hawk helicopter crashed, apparently without enemy involvement.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard cancelled her commitments in the Cook Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum, and returned to Australia to be briefed on both incidents.

Before departing, she told reporters this was the “most losses in combat since the days in the Vietnam war”.

“This is news so truly shocking that it will feel for many Australians like a physical blow,” Ms Gillard said, according to ABC Radio National.

“If we are feeling that then it is hard to imagine what the families of these five men are feeling,” she said.

She said Australia’s commitment to Afghanistan remained firm despite the losses.

“This is a war with a purpose, and a war with an end,” she said.

The five deaths bring to 38 the death toll of Australians in Afghanistan since 2002. Ms Gillard said Australia would not be deterred from a strategy of withdrawing most forces in the next 12 to 18 months and transitioning to Afghan security forces.

“In my view that wouldn’t be appropriately honouring the men we have lost,” Ms Gillard said. “In my view it would be letting our nation down.”

Mark Binskin, vice-chief of the Australian Defence Force, said precautions had been taken against “insider threats”, but “an element of risk will always exist with our forces.”

“Morale at the moment has taken a hit over this, understandably,” he told reporters in Canberra. “But I don’t think it has taken the will for us to fight and work with the Afghan forces.”