Three soldiers were killed by a man in Afghan army uniform in Uruzgan province on Wednesday, the latest in a series of so-called "green-on-blue" attacks.

 

In a separate incident, two others were killed in a helicopter crash in Helmand province on Thursday.

 

PM Julia Gillard said that "in a war of so many losses this is our single worst day in Afghanistan".

 

Ms Gillard has left the Cook Islands, where she was attending the Pacific Islands Forum¹, to return to Australia. 

 

"In the wake of this news, I have made the judgement call that it is appropriate for me to return," she told reporters before she left.

 

Acting³ defence force chief Mark Binskin said the families of the soldiers had been notified. 

 

"Australia has lost five men today. They are soldiers who were committed to serving our nation," Air Marshall Binskin told a press conference in Canberra.

 

The green-on-blue incident is currently under investigation⁴, said an International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) statement. A search was underway for the man, who fled the scene. 

 

Air Marshall Binskin said the man opened fire at close quarters when the three soldiers were relaxing at the end of their day, also injuring two other soldiers.

 

He said that the three soldiers - aged⁵ 40, 23 and 21 - were based at the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane. 

 

The two other Australian soldiers who died, aged 30 and 23, were special forces personnel. They were killed when an Isaf helicopter crashed while attempting to land in Helmand, he said. 

 

"There is no indication of any reaction causing that crash," Air Marshall Binskin said.

 

Thirty-eight soldiers from the Australian Defence Force have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.

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