Australian soldier shot dead in Afghanistan

An Australian special forces soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, Australian Defense Force chief David Hurley said on Tuesday. His death brings to 33 the number of Australians lost in the conflict. The 40-year-old veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment was killed in Uruzgan province on Monday during an operation involving Australian and Afghan troops targeting an insurgent commander, Hurley said. The death was Australia’s first since October. Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan and is the largest military contributor to the U.S.-led alliance outside NATO. Australia also provides the third-largest force of special operations troops after the United States and Britain.