News - Afghanistan

An Australian soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan during a mission against insurgents on Sunday, military officials said.

"The soldier was clearing a compound when an IED detonated, killing him instantly," Australian defence chief Gen. David Hurley told AFP.

"No other Australian or Afghanistan personnel were killed or wounded in the incident.The special operations mission remains ongoing so I cannot provide specific details about the location or the mission itself without risking the safety of this young man's comrades," he added.

The death brings the number of Australian troops killed since the start of their mission in Afghanistan to 39.

Isaf released a statement that a coalition soldier had died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan on Sunday.

Isaf did not provide more details about the exact location of the incident and nationality of the soldier.

Australia has around 1,550 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are based in southern Uruzgan province.

Last week, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited troops based in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Uruzgan.

It was her third trip to Afghanistan as Prime Minister which she used to raise concerns about insider or so-called green-on-blue attacks in which uniformed Afghans turn their weapons against their Nato-led allies.

Her visit came six weeks after Australia suffered its deadliest day in the Afghan war when five troops were killed in two separate incidents on August 30.