General Hurley said a "significant number’’ of insurgents had open fired on a Special Operations Taskforce and members of the Afghan National Army, killing Sergeant Langley. General Hurley said a number of enemy combatants had been killed in the operation. The two Australian soldiers were shot within about 10 to 15 minutes of each other and were about one kilometre apart, General Hurley said. He said further details about the shootings would be released after Defence received full reports from those on the ground. Sergeant Langley was on his fifth deployment in Afghanistan and was described as an "exceptionally experienced soldier’’ by General Hurley. Sergeant Langley had received two commendations for distinguished service and a unit citation for gallantry.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the army had suffered another "heavy blow’’ with Sergeant Langley’s death so soon after that of Victorian Sergeant Brett Wood, also a decorated and respected soldier, on May 23 during a dark fortnight for Australia's forces in Afghanistan. Sergeant Wood was awarded a US Meritorious Service Medal posthumously by General David Petraeus, the commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force. These are tough days for our nation in Afghanistan and we’ve seen these tough days before and there will be tough days to come but we are making progress. The previous Australian soldier to die was Sapper Rowan Robinson, 23, shot and killed in a raid on an enemy munitions dump on June 6. Sergeant Langley's death comes days after the US announced it would withdraw 30,000 troops from Afghanistan, starting at the end of the year. Germany and France will also begin pulling out their forces to coincide with the US "drawdown".

But Mr Smith today said any move by Australia to pull out of Afghanistan would leave a vacuum to be filled by the Taliban, which could lead to further terrorist attacks against Australians. ‘‘We believe it is in our national interest to be in Afghanistan,’’ he said. Loading Ms Gillard said the country’s thoughts were with Sergeant Langley’s loved ones and his mates serving in Afghanistan.



‘‘Our loving thoughts are with the family and friends of Sergeant Todd Langley,’’ she said. Ms Gillard also sent best wishes to the wounded soldier and his family.



‘‘These are tough days for our nation in Afghanistan and we’ve seen these tough days before and there will be tough days to come but we are making progress with our mission in Afghanistan,’’ she said.



The Prime Minister said the work undertaken by the special operations taskforce was vital to Australia’s mission in Afghanistan.



She acknowledged that many Australians would question the country’s continued involvement in the war but that there was no point in leaving if troops only had to return because the job was not done.



‘‘We are very clear that our national interest lies in pursuing our mission in Afghanistan,’’ she said.



She reiterated that Australian troops would remain in Afghanistan until 2014.



Ms Gillard said soliders undertaking repeated deployments to Afghanistan, as Sergeant Langley had, would be decided on an individual basis and many wanted to return to ensure the success of the mission.



‘‘Our great admiration has to go them but that’s their motivation, that’s their life’s work,’’ she said.