AN Australian soldier serving in East Timor has been found dead in his Dili barracks with a gunshot wound.
Defence Force chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said the solder was found dead yesterday afternoon.
"The soldier has died of a gunshot wound while in a barracks area,'' he said.
The circumstances of the incident were still uncertain.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the death would be investigated and commission of inquiry would also be held.
"Any death of an ADF member is a tragic and sad loss for the entire ADF community," Air Chief Marshal Houston said.
"The soldier's next of kin have been informed and our priority is to ensure the family is receiving the support and care they need."
The soldier was part of the International Stabilisation Force in East Timor.
There are about 850 ADF deployed in East Timor as part of the ISF, according to the defence website.
The defence force chief said arrangements for the soldier's repatriation were being made.
The soldier is the third Australian serviceman to die on active service in recent weeks.
On October 8, Trooper David Pearce was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, while late last month Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment Sergeant Matthew Locke was shot dead by the Taliban, also in Afghanistan.
Share this article (What is this?)
NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content for external internet sites
C-17 Globemaster III in May 2006.
An Australian soldier has been found dead with a gunshot wound in a barracks area in Dili in East Timor.

The soldier, working with the International Stabilisation Force in the turbulent country was found dead on the afternoon of November 5. The exact details of his death are still unknown but Air Chief Angus Houston said an inquiry will be launched as part of the investigation. 

"The soldier's next of kin have been informed and our priority is to ensure the family is receiving the support and care they need," Houston said.

About 850 Australian Defence Force soldiers have been deployed to East Timor as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), the military component of United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. The country was recognised as independent from Indonesia in 2002. 

Three Australian servicemen have died on active service in one month.