Paul Moran was killed on Saturday by a suspected suicide attack

Ansar al-Islam has been blamed for the killing of an Australian television cameraman in a car bomb attack in Kurdish-held northern Iraq on Saturday.

Paul Moran, aged 39, died when a taxi exploded next to him as he was filming near the village of Khurmal.

Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Sunni Islamic extremist group, is said to be linked to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Attorney-General Daryl Williams told the Australian parliament on Thursday that adding Ansar al-Islam to the list would "serve to deter Australians from becoming involved in its activities".

The move, which takes immediate effect, makes it an offence to belong to, recruit for, fund or train members of the Ansar al-Islam group.

Limited casualties

Mr Moran has so far been the only Australian casualty of the war.

On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the number of Iraqi civilians killed in the war had been remarkably low.

Anti-war protests have taken place across Australia

Mr Howard said that while any casualties in war are tragic, unprecedented steps had been taken to try to avoid civilian deaths and injuries.

Baghdad claims there have been 175 Iraqi civilian casualties since war began.

In Iraq, Royal Australian Navy divers have been clearing the Umm Qasr port of mines, opening the way for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill said the de-mining would enable supplies of food and water into the port, as well as the 100,000 tonnes of wheat donated by the federal government.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the divers located a sunken mine-filled Iraqi boat in the port on Thursday.

Australians are also working with the American and British military in front-line positions, Mr Hill confirmed on Thursday.

These Australians are not part of the 150 Special Air Service (SAS) troops, who were originally thought to be the only combat ground troops of Australia's 2,000-strong Iraq deployment.

Protests

Australians remain deeply divided in their support for military action.

For the first time, opinion polls are showing that the majority of Australians now support the US-led conflict.

But anti-war protests are still taking place in the nation's largest cities. On Wednesday a protest in Sydney turned violent, with demonstrators hurling chairs and bottles at police.

More than 30 people were arrested and several were slightly injured in the ensuing melee.

On Thursday police took the unusual step of threatening legal action to prevent further rallies taking place if they could not be guaranteed to remain peaceful.