Australian Army Captain Bryce Duffy

Australian Army Captain Bryce Duffy, age 26, was one of three soldiers killed on 29th October 2011 by a rogue Afghan Army soldier at a patrol base in northern Kandahar.

Captain Duffy was born in Sydney and was educated in Brisbane. He joined the Australian Defence Force Academy in January 2003 and completed a Bachelor of Science. He graduated from the Royal Military College in December 2006 and was posted to 1st Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery based in Brisbane. He was transferred to the 4th Field Regiment in January 2011 as the Assistant Operations Officer, before his second deployment to Afghanistan in September.

Captain Duffy was a well known and highly-regarded young officer. He was recognised by his commanders for his strength of character, determination and diligence. He leaves his partner, parents and family.

Australian Army Corporal Ashley Birt

Australian Army Corporal Ashley Birt, age 22, was one of three soldiers killed on 29th October 2011 by a rogue Afghan Army soldier at a patrol base in northern Kandahar.

Cpl. Birt joined the Australian Regular Army in June 2007 and served with the Royal Australian Engineers as a Geospatial Technician. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in February 2011 and to Corporal in April 2011.

His colleagues describe him as being a proud and well-liked soldier of the 1 TOPO SVY SQN. He maintained a very high level of physical fitness and played hockey at the highest levels. Due to his natural leadership style, maturity, hard work ethic and dedication to his specialist trade, he was quickly promoted through the ranks.

He leaves his parents Don and Linda and his brother Dale, who issued the following statement: "The death of Ashley has been a tragic shock to our family, his mates and the Gympie community. Ashley was a proud soldier who loved his job. He was a loving son, devoted brother, wonderful uncle and loyal friend who will be dearly missed."

Australian Army Lance Corporal Luke Gavin

Australian Army Lance Corporal Luke Gavin, age 27, was one of three soldiers killed on 29th October 2011 by a rogue Afghan Army soldier at a patrol base in northern Kandahar.

L-Cpl. Gavin joined the in 2004 and, on completion of his basic training was posted as an infantryman to the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), in Townsville in 2005. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in January 2009. He was a highly-qualified soldier, having completed specialist training as a combat first aider, Pashtu linguist and infantry support weapons operator.

L-Cpl. Gaving served in East Timor three times and deployed to Afghanistan in June 2011. He leaves his wife and their three children.

Three Australian soldiers killed in shooting incident

Three Australian soldiers were killed and seven wounded by a rogue member of the Afghan Army on 29th October 2011. They were shot during a parade at a patrol base in northern Kandahar Province.

It is believed that two died instantly and the third died later in a military field hospital.

The killer was shot dead.

Afghan Army commander, General Abdul Hameed, issued this statement: "At around 8.30 this morning (Kabul time), an ANA soldier named Darwish who had been serving as an ANA soldier for the past three years opened fire on a group of Australian military officers, killing three of them."

The three soldiers killed were: Captain Bryce Duffy, Cpl. Ashley Birt and L-Cpl. Luke Gavin

Australian Army Private Matthew Lambert

26-year-old Private Matthew Lambert, serving with the Australian Townsville-based 2nd Battalion RAR, was killed in action on 22nd August 2011 when a bomb detonated beside his unit while he was conducting a night patrol north-east of Tarin Kot.

Pvt. Lambert was born in Kogarah, New South Wales. He joined the Army in 2005 and served in East Timor in 2009 receiving a number of military honours.

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard, speaking about Pvt. Lambert, said: "Private Lambert's colleagues described him as a man who excelled at any task he was assigned and a soldier who was proud to serve his country. Matthew was a sniper. A tough specialist in mind and body, one of the most skilled soldiers in one of the most skilled armies in the world."

Private Lambert is survived by his wife, parents and family.

Aussie soldiers bid farewell to fallen comrade

Soldiers bid emotional farewell to Jamie Larcombe

A 21-year-old Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan last week has been farewelled by his comrades at an emotional memorial in Tarin Kowt.

Sapper Jamie Ronald Larcombe was shot and killed in a Taliban ambush in Uruzgan province along with an Afghan interpreter.

The Darwin-based combat engineer was remembered by his commanding officer as a young man who epitomised the core values of an Australian soldier.

"Mateship is what defines the best in an Aussie digger and Jamie was amongst our best," Lieutenant Colonel Darren Huxley said.

Australian engineer, Cpl. Richard Edward Atkinson

An Australian soldier has been killed and another wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, the Australian Defence Department has announced, upping the number of Australian troops killed in the conflict to 22.

Corporal Richard Edward Atkinson, 22, was killed on Wednesday while on patrol in Uruzgan's Deh Rahwod - a region of southern Afghanistan at the heart of the Taliban-led insurgency.

Corporal Atkinson, a member of the Darwin-based First Combat Engineer Regiment, was on a foot patrol with Afghan soldiers at the time of the incident.

Australian fatalities - list updated

We have updated the full list of Australian military fatalities from 2002 to 2010 and will continue adding individual detail about each incident as soon as we can.

If you can help us by supplying information and photos, please contact us

Click here to view the list

Australian Commando, L-Cpl Jason Marks, killed in action

Lance Corporal Jason Marks, 27 years of age from Sydney, was killed during a gun-battle in the early hours of Monday, 28 April when Australian soldiers were engaged by Taliban extremists using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

Lance Corporal Jason Marks

 Read full press release at Australian Department of Defence

Australian commando Luke Worsley killed in action

It is with great sadness that the Department of Defence announces the death of Australian Commando, Private Luke Worsley, serving with Special Operations Task Group in Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, 23 November 2007.

Private Worsley, 26 years of age from Sydney, was killed by small arms fire while participating in a planned and deliberate attack by our forces against Taliban leaders and their supporters in Uruzgan Province.

Luke Worsley

 Read Australian Department of Defence press release

Australian SAS Sergeant Andrew Russell

SAS Sgt. Russell

Thirty-three-year-old Sergeant Andrew Russell, from the Perth-based Special Air Service Regiment, has been killed in action in Afghanistan. 

Sgt. Russell suffered fatal wounds on 16th February, 2002 when the long-range patrol vehicle in which he was travelling struck a suspected anti-vehicle mine.

He was one of five Australian personnel travelling in the vehicle, but was the only person wounded in the explosion.

Combat Search and Rescue helicopters were launched from Kandahar 13 minutes after the task group headquarters was notified of the incident at 11.58pm Australian Eastern Summer Time.

Despite the efforts of a three-member US military rescue team, who parachuted into the scene to stabilise him in preparation for evacuation by helicopter, he was pronounced dead after arriving at a United States medical facility in Kandahar.