The Australian Defence Force (ADF) revealed yesterday the name of the SAS member killed in Afghanistan earlier this week as Sgt Blaine Diddams, a 22-year veteran in the military service, 17 years of which were spent with the Special Air Service Regiment.

In a statement, the ADF described Sgt Diddams first as devoted family man who will be missed by his wife and two children and a professional dedicated soldier who had served in Somalia, East Timor and the Solomon Islands prior to his deployment in the decade-old Afghan conflict.

The 40-year-old Canberra native, the ADF statement said on Wednesday, was "known for his outwards personality and quirky sense of humour."

"He was held in the highest regard by his mates and comrades alike," the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported the Department of Defence as saying.

Gen David Hurley, Chief of Defence Force, confirmed on Tuesday that Sgt Diddams was killed shortly after his team was inserted by a chopper to hunt an insurgent leader in the Chora Valley of Uruzgan, the Afghan province where the more than 1500 Diggers were stationed.

He was felled by a bullet that pierced through his chest, just above the armoured vest that he was wearing, with Gen Hurley recounting: "Despite the best efforts of all, attempts to resuscitate the soldier were unsuccessful."

The ADF also disclosed that Sgt Diddams was a highly-decorated service member who joined the regular army in 1990 and eased over to the elite SAS based in Perth after five years.

At the time of his death, the Digger was on his seventh tour, which was confirmed by Gen Hurley during a Tuesday news briefing.

In total, Sgt Diddams completed more than 30 months of deployment in Uruzgan, highlighting what The Australian had reported as the overstretched involvement of the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG), in which the Aussie soldier belonged, in the Afghan Mission.

His death, the ADF said, marked the 33rd death suffered by Australian forces since the war had started 11 years ago. Sixteen of those killed so far, The Australian said, were part of the SAS elite units.

In a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Australia, Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich declared that the loss of another Digger would greatly contribute in the ongoing campaign to rid the world of terrorists.

"We really mourn the loss of everyone. Our own soldiers, but our Australian mates as well, we work so close together," Ambassador Bleich told The Herald Sun on Wednesday.