Australia Will Apologize to Bollywood Star Over Army Sex Claims

Australia's military chief said allegations that Bollywood actress Tania Zaetta had sex with soldiers while entertaining troops in Afghanistan were unfounded and pledged to apologize to the star.

Zaetta was named in a defense department briefing note leaked to the media which probed claims she slept with Special Forces soldiers at a military base in Uruzgan province in April.

``There was no substance to the allegations,'' Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston told a parliamentary committee hearing in Canberra today. ``I will obviously apologize and express my deepest regret about any hurt she has suffered.''

Zaetta has denied the allegations. Officials are investigating how the ``hot issues brief'' prepared for Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon was obtained by a reporter.

The actress hosted an Australian game show called ``Who Dares Wins'' and has featured in Bollywood productions, including a recent Charlie's Angels-style hit, ``Mr. Black, Mr. White,'' according to Agence France-Presse.

Zaetta, 37, who is of Australian and Italian heritage, last month described the allegations as ``complete, made-up lies,'' according to the report.

``Apart from being hurtful, it's damaging to a woman's career, to her reputation and I wish someone had come and asked me before there had been any documentation,'' AFP cited her as telling local television.