Australian sentenced to death in Afghanistan

SYDNEY: An Australian security contractor has been sentenced to death in Afghanistan for fatally shooting an Afghan colleague and trying to blame the slaying on the Taliban.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Canberra would try to prevent the former Australian soldier from being executed - an act that could raise tensions between Afghanistan and its largest non-NATO contributor of international security forces.

Australia strongly opposes the death penalty and regularly lobbies governments to commute the sentences of Australians convicted abroad of capital crimes.