Fed: Soldier gave his life for freedom from terrorism - Nelson

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2008
Fed: Soldier gave his life for freedom from terrorism - Nelson

SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - Lance Corporal Jason Marks gave his life for Australia in the
cause of freedom against terrorism, Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson says.

Lance Corporal Marks, 27, was killed and four other Australians were injured in a firefight
with the Taliban in the Oruzgan province of Afghanistan yesterday.

"In our uniform, under our flag and in our name, Lance Corporal Jason Marks gave his
life for Australia and the cause of freedom against terrorism," Dr Nelson, a defence minister
in the Howard government, told reporters today.

"My sympathies obviously go to his family and also to the four Australian soldiers
wounded in this battle and their families who must be very concerned about them.

"All Australians need to remember that 88 Australians were murdered in October 2002
(in Bali) by three men who trained in Afghanistan with the Taliban.

"Our generation is engaged in the struggle against resurgent totalitarianism in the
form of Islamic extremism and the kind of world, the kind of Australia that our children
are going to live in will be determined by whether we are able to prevail in Afghanistan."

Dr Nelson said the fight against terrorism was a "generational struggle" which would
go on for years.

"Our generation will be battling terrorism and extremism for the forseeable future," he said.

"Afghanistan is at the heart of this battle.

"It will be some years that Australia, I think, will continue to be in Afghanistan."

AAP krc/pbc/hn/ldj/jlw

KEYWORD: AFGHAN MARKS NELSON

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