Aust soldier killed in Afghanistan

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An Australian digger was killed in Afghanistan yesterday by a roadside bomb.

Twenty-two Australian soldiers have now died in Afghanistan since operations began.

The soldier was named as 22-year-old Corporal Richard Edward Atkinson, who was on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

A second soldier was seriously wounded, acting chief of the defence force, Lieutenant General David Hurley said.

Both men were members of the Darwin-based First Combat Engineer Regiment.

They were conducting a dismounted partnered security control with the Afghan national army at the time of the incident.

General Hurley said the man's family had been notified of the death overnight.

The wounded soldier was meanwhile in a satisfactory condition at the Tarin Kowt hospital.

The incident took place in the Deh Rahwod region of Oruzgan province about 9.30am Afghanistan time on Wednesday.

General Hurley said after the bomb blast Australian and Afghan soldiers quickly secured the site and provided first aid to their wounded comrades.

At the time of the incident, weather conditions in Oruzgan were very bad, with rain, low cloud and large dust storms seriously reducing visibility.

General Hurley said that created some initial problems launching the aero-medical evacuation helicopter.

"But the US aircrew persevered in the dangerous conditions to get the aircraft off the ground in a few minutes," he said.

"Their actions meant the wounded Australians reached the medical facility at Tarin Kowt within an hour."

- AAP