An Australian soldier wounded in a shooting attack by an Afghan soldier has returned to duty and is being praised for helping stop the "insider attack".
A group of Australian soldiers and a New Zealand colleague were leaving a military base in northern Afghanistan on Saturday morning when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them.
The group shot back, critically wounding the Afghan soldier, who later died in hospital.
An Australian soldier assigned to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy and the New Zealander received minor wounds in the unprovoked attack.
Defence confirmed on Sunday the Australian soldier was back at work the day after the incident, and the New Zealander was in a stable condition.
Acting Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin said others could have been hit if not for the quick response of Australian soldiers.
"Australian and New Zealand soldiers are highly professional and it is good news that no serious injuries were sustained in this attack," he said in a statement.
"Our force protection measures were operating effectively, saving the Australian and New Zealand soldiers from a more serious situation."
Discussions are underway with the dead Afghan soldier's unit to determine the reason for the attack.
It occurred in the Qargha region, near Kabul, where Australian soldiers and other ISAF personnel are training Afghan officers at the academy.
The number of insider, or "green on blue", attacks have surged in recent years and remain an ongoing threat to Australian and other coalition troops based in Afghanistan.
Of the 40 Australians killed in Afghanistan, seven have died in insider attacks where rogue Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on their coalition partners.
The most recent fatal incident involving Australians was in August last year, when three soldiers died in a single attack.
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen offered well wishes to the soldier's family and all troops serving in Afghanistan.
"Every Australian's thoughts would be with the soldiers and with their family, who have put their lives on the line," he told Network Ten.
He said the agreed timetable for withdrawing Australian troops from the war-torn country had bipartisan support and was appropriate.
Share
