Three Australian Soldiers Killed in Helicopter Crash in South Afghanistan By Marion Rae - Jun 21, 2010 Email Share Print Three Australian commandos and another coalition soldier were killed in Afghanistan today when a helicopter carrying 15 people crashed in northern Kandahar, Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said.
?It wasn?t the result of enemy action,? Houston told reporters in Canberra today. The crash, taking the Australian death toll in Afghanistan to five in two weeks, happened in the early hours of today in difficult terrain, he said. Seven soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously.
The deaths raised the nation?s toll in Afghanistan to 16 since 2002. Two Australian soldiers died earlier this month in Australia?s first day of multiple fatalities since the Vietnam War.
?We remain very committed to our operational objectives,? Defense Minister John Faulkner told reporters.
Australia has about 1,550 soldiers in Afghanistan, with most based in Uruzgan, as part of Operation Slipper, the military?s contribution to operations by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
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