( CNN ) -- One Australian soldier , three civilians and Taliban militants were killed early Friday during heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan , according to information from Australian and NATO officials . Four Australian troops have now died in the conflict in Afghanistan . The incident occurred in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province , where Taliban militants killed an Australian commando , the Australian Defence Ministry said . The 26-year-old commando -- Pvt . Luke Worsley of Sydney -- served with the Special Operations Task Group . This is the fourth Australian troop to die in the Afghan conflict . `` The action in which Private Worsley died only concluded in the last few hours and was characterized by heavy , close quarter fighting . The SOTG was conducting an operation to clear an identified Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan province , when the soldier was hit by small arms fire , '' Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said . NATO 's International Security Assistance Force said `` a significant number of Taliban insurgents were killed or captured as part of the operation . Taliban insurgents initiated the firefight which lasted several hours . '' Gen. Carlos Branco , ISAF spokesman , said it is not known how the civilians , two women and a child , died . `` However , we do know that the insurgents fired upon ISAF soldiers from the compound in which the Afghan civilians ( two women and one child ) were found after the fight . ISAF makes all effort to prevent losses of innocent civilian lives . '' E-mail to a friend .
Taliban militants kill Australian soldier in southern Afghanistan . He was killed during operation to destroy Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan . This is the fourth Australian soldier to die in the conflict in Afghanistan . Several others killed and a coalition troop injured in other operations in southeast .