Australian Deaths In Afghanistan Fighting
- March 22nd, 2009
- Posted by EUEditor
Two Australian soldiers died this month in the space of three days in Southern Afghanistan.
Corporal Matthew (“Hoppyâ€) Hopkins, 21, married with a young son, from the 7th Battalion Royal Australian regiment, hailed from Queensland.
He was fatally wounded in a contact with Taliban insurgents close to Tarin Kowt, in Oruzgan province, 16.3.09.
Sergeant Brett Till, 31, an Ordnance Disposal technician, was killed when an improvised bomb exploded, during route clearing operations, 19.3.09.
Sgt. Till, married with two children, was a member of the Incident Response Regiment based at Holsworthy New South Wales.
Tributes were paid in the Australian parliament and by the Chief of the Defence force, Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston.
The Australian government has been participating in discussions among members of the North Atlantic Alliance, on proposals to enlarge the NATO-led security force in Afghanistan – including the possibility of sending a draft of extra troops to help with security during elections this year.    (See EUAustralia, Working on the Afghan Buildup, 21.2.09).
Reference:
Australian Defence Force (ADF), Canberra, http://www.defence.gov.au/media/deptrels.cfm, (22.3.09)
Picture: ADF