Ninth digger dies in Afghanistan

[Jovial Monk]

This soldier was not one of the SAS who have taken the brunt of the casualties, but "a member of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Taskforce which was patrolling on foot near Kakarak, 12 kilometres north of Tarin Kowt in the Uruzgan province."

Does this mean the battalion is taking a more frontline role or did that patrol just happen across a Taliban force?

I would like to see more diggers in Afghanistan, despite the casualties. They are the sort of soldier that doesn't just call for air support when a civilian throws a rotten tomato at them. Very skilled and well trained.