As part of forward planning for the conflict, the army's training command has requested tenders for a three to five-year program of intensive Pashto language training for Australian troops.

Pashto, also known as Afghani, is one of two official languages of Afghanistan and is spoken by about 35 per cent of the population; about 11 million people in the southern, eastern and western provinces of Afghanistan.

Although Pashto has been taught at the Defence Force School of Languages in Melbourne for several years, the army's new request for tender provides for a commercial supplier to deliver intensive training in the language for three years, beginning next January, with the likelihood of a two-year extension.

Soldiers with no previous Pashto language training will undertake an anticipated 42-week course to successfully perform as ''military linguists using the ... language in a wide range of social situations, and specialised military subjects''.

Defence sources said Pashto was in demand for Afghanistan operations, but the language had little wider application. Advanced proficiency in Pashto is valued for army intelligence officers, signals intelligence operators, and troops engaged in liaison with and training of Afghan security forces.

Poor communication between Australian forces and Afghan security was identified in an army investigation as a contributing factor in the firefight last month that resulted in the shooting death of an Afghan provincial governor.

''Local tactical level cooperation between [coalition forces] and [Afghan security] agencies is a weakness,'' the report said. ''Appropriate sharing and passage of information may have avoided the contact.''

Australia's participation in the Afghan war began in 2001 with the deployment of special forces units in the United States-led invasion to overthrow the Taliban regime after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Although Australian forces were withdrawn in 2002, a reconstruction taskforce of engineers returned to Afghanistan in 2005 and 2006, and infantry and special forces were deployed to the Oruzgan Province.

Australia has more than 1000 troops in the country.

Last week, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon announced the Australian taskforce would also train Afghan National Army units.

''Our troops will embed themselves with Afghan battalions, sharing their skills knowledge and know-how within the fledgling Afghan army,'' he said. He has repeatedly expressed frustration with the lack of progress in the war.

''The progress of the global partners in Afghanistan is at best very, very slow,'' he said last week. ''It will remain slow while ever we lack properly coordinated and resourced political, civil and military plans.''