The Australian military has helped train senior Afghan militia fighters under the control of a controversial warlord in a bid to strengthen operations against the Taliban.
Just a week ago, six fighters loyal to Oruzgan's Matiullah Khan were flown to Australia to train with elite soldiers, Fairfax reported.
The government did not reveal the men were in the country, even as the parliament began a lengthy debate on the war in Afghanistan, now in its tenth year. It was reported Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Afghan leader Hamid Karzai discussed the issue of relationships with the warlords of the troubled nation at an October 2 meeting.
Dutch forces, recently gone from Oruzgan, have previously refused to work with Khan.
Defence offered no immediate comment.
