An Australian Army soldier, a member of the Mentoring Task Force, was shot by an Afghan National Army soldier yesterday while undertaking guard duty at a patrol base north of Tarin Kot.

Despite receiving substantial medical treatment at the base, and being airlifted to a nearby ISAF medical facility at Tarin Kot in well under an hour, the Australian soldier died from his wounds.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the Afghan National Army soldier fled the scene and remains at large.

“We will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and work closely with our 4th Brigade partners to develop a clear understanding of what has occurred and what, if anything, can be done to prevent such an incident happening again,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

“We remain committed to our mentoring role and I can’t stress highly enough the importance of the Mentoring Task Force to achieving our mission in Afghanistan.”

'Unavoidable' incident sparks debate

Australian Defence Association spokesman Neil James says the chance of an Afghan soldier turning rogue is an unavoidable one in that scenario and that Australian soldiers serving in the mentoring units have always known one of their Afghan colleagues could turn on them, ABC News has reported.

"The Mentoring Task Force role is inherently dangerous because it involves, just as the training team in Vietnam did, working with the security forces of the country you're helping, and occasionally one of them will prove unreliable and be an enemy sympathiser," Mr James was quoted as saying.

The incident has incited debate over the future of the mission in Afghanistan. Australian Greens leader Senator Brown is calling for the return of troops by the end of the year following a review.

"We should bring our troops home safely to our shore to be better deployed in Australia's interests," he told reporters in Canberra.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, however, maintained Australia had a strong and professional relationship with the Afghan National Army.

"This work is vital to our mission in Afghanistan, indeed we cannot succeed in that mission without doing this training," she said.