Here is the big story in Australia right now:

AN Australian soldier has been killed and another seriously injured in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan.

The soldier, whose name has not been released, is the first Australian to die from a direct enemy attack in Afghanistan or Iraq. His body will be returned home under constant escort.

"We’re now working on arrangements to bring the body of the fallen soldier back to Australia," Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said.

"This will be by ADF or permanently chartered ADF aircraft and his body will be under constant escort by ADF personnel."

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) confirmed last night a group of Australians had been patrolling an area of Oruzgan province when they were targeted by militants who detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) next to their vehicle. [AAP]

The first ADF casualty was in February 2002 when a SAS soldier was killed by a landmine.  The soldier killed this time is the first soldier killed in a direct attack by the enemy.  The soldier was part of a security detachment protecting an Australian engineer taskforce on a reconstruction mission in Oruzgan province.  The Australians have come under increasing attacks from the Taliban as the taskforce continues to make progress in their reconstruction mission. 

The Taliban may be trying to test Australian political will to continue the mission before Australia’s parliamentary elections to elect their Prime Minister in a few months.  If they are I would be very surprised if the political opposition in Australia would advocate removing the ADF taskforce from Afghanistan because of casualties.  They seem pretty solid in their support for Afghanistan, but definitely not Iraq.

I was watching the Channel 9 News this morning and they were trying to make a political issue out of it by asking why if the ruling government claims they have provided the best armored vehicles to the ADF, why a soldier died in a bomb attack.  To ask such a question means you have to be oblivious to the bomb attacks killing American soldier in armored vehicles as well.  It will be interesting to see if the IED that killed the Australian soldier was part of the shipments of arms being smuggled into Afghanistan from Iran or not.