Australian defence apologised to Tania over Afghanistan sex claim

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The Australian defence force has apologised to a Bollywood actress for airing rumours she had sex with troops while touring a military base in Afghanistan.

London-based Australian star Tania Zaetta 37 is considering suing the defence department over the scandal, which centres on a morale-boosting tour she made to Australian military bases in Afghanistan last month.

The defence department apologised to Zaetta late Thursday, expressing regret that a ministerial briefing note, known as a "hot issues paper", detailing the rumours had named her and become public.

However, on the substance of the allegation that Zaetta had sex with special forces soldiers on the trip, the department said only: "We are unable to comment as the investigation is ongoing."

Zaetta has strenuously denied the claims, labelling them "ridiculous" and "hurtful".

She has said she is briefing lawyers and is concerned the scandal could damage her career in Bollywood.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Zaetta was entitled to pursue legal action based on the advice she received from her lawyers.

Rudd said the defence department was conducting two inquiries, one trying to find out what, if anything, happened in Afghanistan and the other looking at how the document containing the allegations was handled.

"There's an investigation under way, I've been in this business for a long time, let's wait till all the facts are on the table," he told Channel Nine television Friday.

Zaetta, 37, rose to prominence in Australia as a host of the game show "Who Dares Wins", which is also the motto of the elite SAS special forces troops serving in Afghanistan.

In recent years, she has featured in a number of Bollywood productions, including a recent Charlie's Angels-style hit, "Mr. Black, Mr. White."

She also has a kickboxing exercise video called "Tania Zaetta's Box".

Australia has around 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 310 special forces soldiers serving in Uruzgan in the south.