NZ SAS soldier killed in Afghanistan

[Parrotfish]

Saddest news news out of Afghanistan.

"It is being reported that a member of the New Zealand SAS has been killed in an attack by the Taliban in Kabul.

This has not been confirmed by the New Zealand Defence Force.

The Taliban laid siege to a British cultural centre in Kabul early on Friday, killing at least 10 people in what the group called a warning to London as the country celebrated 92 years of independence from British rule.

They set off the attack with two large explosions, then stormed the British Council building and fought with Afghan security forces and NATO troops.

Britain's Daily Telegraph website is reporting that a New Zealand SAS soldier was among those who died.

It says Afghan troops, Gurkhas employed as guards and New Zealand special forces led the operation to repel the suicide attackers, with assistance from a small number of British forces.

A report from a BBC correspondent in Kabul confirmed that New Zealand SAS troops were involved in the battle.

He said the attack began with an explosion that was heard across Kabul and came just after dawn, but hours later the Taliban still had the British Council compound under siege.

Waves of attackers had made their way inside the building. They were armed with heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.

As the injured were led away, the fighting continued throughout the morning. Three Afghan guards and a number of policemen were killed.

By early afternoon, New Zealand SAS troops and Afghan commandos had fought their way inside the compound, the BBC correspondent reported.

Hiding in a bunker in the basement were four British Council staff members and five hours into the attack all were rescued. All of the insurgents were killed in the attack.

The Guardian website in Britain is reporting that what appeared to be a seriously wounded New Zealand special forces soldier was stretchered out of the building and loaded on to the medevac helicopter."

www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/82967/nz-soldier-feared-dead-in-kabul-attack

[Parrotfish]

Now confirmed. RIP

[kiwithrottlejockey]

New Zealand SAS soldier killed in Kabul

The Dominion Post and Reuters | 1:04AM - Saturday, 20 August 2011


GUN BATTLE IN KABUL: A British soldier walks in front of the site of attack on offices belonging to
the British Council in Kabul. — Photo: Reuters.

A NEW ZEALAND special forces soldier has been killed in a Taleban attack on British Council diplomatic offices in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

A Defence Force source confirmed late last night that a New Zealand SAS soldier was among at least nine people killed in the assault, which marked the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from Britain.

The soldier's name would not be released until next of kin had been notified.

The source confirmed that SAS troops were engaged in last night's incident in a background support role.

The Afghan Crisis Response Unit, mentored by the SAS, was involved in repelling a five-hour firefight Taleban attack on the British diplomatic offices. "The SAS was there in a support role," the Defence source said.

The Guardian website reported that journalists were ordered to stop taking photos when what appeared to be a seriously hurt New Zealander was taken by stretcher from the building and loaded on to a medevac helicopter. Scores of Afghan and Nato troops surrounded a compound strewn with wooden and metal debris while two helicopters hovered above.

A Ministry of Interior spokesman said at least 12 people were wounded during the assault.

"Eight members of the Afghan national police and one foreign soldier were killed," Mohammad Zahir, head of criminal investigations for the Kabul police, told Reuters.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he spoke with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and thanked him for the troops' role in ending the raid, in which 10 people were thought to have been killed.

"It's obviously a tragic but cowardly act that has been undertaken but it won't succeed and it won't deflect us from the vital work we are doing in Afghanistan," Cameron said.

Key said the Government was saddened by the death of the soldier.

"I have limited details about the soldier’s death, but I am advised that he died during fighting that followed an attack by insurgents in Kabul in the last few hours."

"On behalf of the Government, I want to offer my condolences to the family of the soldier."

"His death is a reminder of the dangers our Defence Force personnel face while serving in Afghanistan," Key said.

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp also acknowledged the news, and offered his condolences to the family of the soldier. He said he mourned the loss.

A Reuters photograph taken at the scene showed what appeared to be a white male being lifted on to a stretcher with blood across his back and a wound to the back of his head.

Earlier, police believed there were foreign people trapped inside the building, and as many as three assailants were believed holed up there.

By afternoon, there was one left.

"There is one suicide bomber left alive in the bulletproof basement of the British Council," a ministry official said later.

Afghan and Nato troops were trying to kill him.

WARNING TO BRITAIN

A Reuters witness heard a large explosion shortly after 1pm local time, the seventh of the day, in what the Ministry of Interior source said could have been an attempt to kill the last attacker or him detonating an explosive.

The Taleban said they were sending two messages: One to the Afghan government and one to the British," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

"We are now reminding them that we will become independent again from all foreigners, especially from the British," Mujahid said, referring to Afghanistan's independence from British rule 92 years ago, which the country was marking on Friday.

The Nato-led force in Afghanistan also confirmed there had been two explosions near the British Council, which is a state-funded agency running mainly cultural programs. It is not part of the main British embassy in the diplomatic area of Kabul.

Security was beefed up across the capital ahead of the date.

After the United States, Britain has the second-largest force in the Nato-led war against the Taleban, with around 9,500 troops.

Mujahid declined to say how many bombers the Islamist group used for the attacks, which come a month after Nato handed over security responsibilities to the Afghans in several areas across the country, as part of a gradual transition process to be completed by the end of 2014.

Afghan forces have been given responsibility for the city of Kabul since 2008, when Nato handed over security control, but in reality Nato forces still police the area heavily.

There is growing unease in the United States and Europe about the costly and increasingly violent war that has dragged on for 10 years, causing US lawmakers to question whether bringing home all combat troops by 2014 is fast enough.

Nato and the United States earlier this year reluctantly backed Kabul's peace plan, which involves reconciliation with some members of the Taleban. The Taleban have repeatedly said they will not negotiate with the Afghan government until all foreign forces have stopped fighting in their country.

NEW ZEALAND DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN

Two other New Zealanders were killed in Afghanistan last year.

They were Lieutenant Timothy O'Donnell, 28, from Feilding who died in August 2010 when his three-vehicle patrol was attacked with explosives, rocket propelled grenades and gunfire in north-east Bamiyan Province; and Private Jack Howard, 23, of Wellington who was killed in December 2010 while serving as a member of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, with the British Army in Afghanistan. He was killed by "friendly fire" on patrol in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/5478019/New-Zealand-SAS-soldier-killed-in-Kabul

[jonesy]

RIP. Very sad stuff, someones brother/son/father not coming home.
Spare us the petty politicizing debate on whether to bring them home or not. You listening Green Party?

[flyjoe180]

Aug 20, 2011 7:52:34 GMT 12 jonesy said:

RIP. Very sad stuff, someones brother/son/father not coming home.
Spare us the petty politicizing debate on whether to bring them home or not. You listening Green Party?

I doubt that they are Jonesy. RIP.

[jonesy]

Tragic as it is, these guys knew what they were doing over there and what comes with the territory. As with some other trades theyre highly trained, incredibly skilled and very highly regarded amongst their peers. Theyre doing a superb job in a really crappy place and deserve our full support.
No different to the last 100 years or so of NZ's involvement in conflict.

[Dave Homewood]

Very sad news indeed. My condolences to the family, friends and squadron mates of this soldier. I hope that the Afghan people will come to appreciate his sacrifice for their freedom.

[obiwan27]

RIP, condolences to the soldier's family.

[30sqnatc]

RIP. My thoughts are with his family and fellow unit members.

[oggie2620]

Just heard on our breakfast news. Glad none of the others killed. My thoughts are with the family and friends of tgis brave Kiwi lad. RIP.

[kiwiscanfly]

Kia Kaha 1NZSAS Squadron.......... RIP, thoughts and prayers are with the family of this talented, loved and brave soldier. May his sacrifice never be forgotten.

[Tony]

[jonesy]

Just found out he's a friend of a friend, and a father of two. Thank goodness they have a great support network back home-pretty much a big family really.
Nice to see the thoughts of our forum members are with them.

[baz62]

Yes sad to hear and it p****d me off hearing Locke saying the SAS should come home. Total lack of respect for this brave man in my opinion.
My thoughts are with the SAS and this soldier's family.

[Dave Homewood]

RIP Corporal Doug Grant.

[Andy Wright]

The world is poorer for losing him.

[Peter Lewis]

I agree with the sentiments expressed here. So sad when we lose a fellow of this calibre, and a real tragedy for the family. I feel for them.

However . . .
(I'll probably get abused for saying this):

Don't you think that the National Grief is a bit over the top?

Here we have someone who willingly and knowingly entered a dangerous profession, where this sort of outcome is likely.
All people who enroll in a hazardous activity or profession do so fully aware that the chances of injury or death is somewhat greater than just sitting in an office somewhere. Diving, mountaineering, motor-racing, military service, (yes even flying) all carry an element of risk, and statistically every now and then someone is going to get caught.

Think back to the dozens of Kiwi servicemen who were killed daily during WW2, and (even more difficult to comprehend) the hundreds or even thousands that were killed day-by day in WW1 at Gallipoli, Passchendale and the Somme. In 1914-18 NZ only had a population about on fifth of its current level, so these numbers represented quite a sizeable percentage of the population yet we did not have this sort of carry-on for each and every one of those chaps.

But then I'm sure that the influence of Sociologists, Grief Counselors and the bleeding-heart pacifists was a lot less in those days.

(End of Rant)

[jonesy]

Aug 22, 2011 22:03:59 GMT 12 Peter Lewis said:

I agree with the sentiments expressed here. So sad when we lose a fellow of this calibre, and a real tragedy for the family. I feel for them.

However . . .
(I'll probably get abused for saying this):

Don't you think that the National Grief is a bit over the top?

Here we have someone who willingly and knowingly entered a dangerous profession, where this sort of outcome is likely.
All people who enroll in a hazardous activity or profession do so fully aware that the chances of injury or death is somewhat greater than just sitting in an office somewhere. Diving, mountaineering, motor-racing, military service, (yes even flying) all carry an element of risk, and statistically every now and then someone is going to get caught.

(End of Rant)

Yes some aspects there I can agree on. I think the issue is the uniqueness of the situation, and driving home the fact that our guys have been working in a crappy area where soldiers from other nations have been getting killed on a much more regular basis.
We havent really been in a conflict like this for a number of years- G/W 1&2 were'nt really too dangerous for our guys, and I think the NZ public has forgotten what its like to feel the loss of a countryman in combat.
The press does also tend to over-sensationalise the SAS (still!). For Gods sake, just let them do their job!!

PS, regardless of all the opinions given, the fact is that a family has lost their Dad, and a unit has lost a brother. I'm of a similar age, with kids also similar to his. No family deserves this.

[Dave Homewood]

I think there is a difference Peter. In WWI and WWII it was an all out war that everyone in the nation apart from a handful of objectors had been rallied behind through patriotism and propaganda. I am sure that the first deaths of both conflicts must have come as a nasty shock to the public in NZ, but they soon became numbed to it as an everyday occurrance and had only to live in hope that combat deaths did not touch their families - a bit like most people are blase' about the Christmas holiday road toll, it's inevitable.

With our troops in Afghanistan however the public is neither fully behind the war nor seemingly gives much of a monkeys about it. Thgey go about their daily lives oblivious to the fact that small groups of men and women from New Zealand are daily risking life and limb there in the name of security and freedom. And perhaps this comes down to the whitewash that Laboiur spun when they committed troops to the war there by telling the public they were merely building houses and training other troops. So it comes as a shock to many when their peaceful daily life is punctuated by the sudden news that one of our best and bravest has been killed in combat on the front lines of a war half a world away that they had all but forgotten about.

Also today it is much more immediate to the public. In both world wars the first news would be a telegram to the family, very private. Then some days later a release by the War office to the newspapers would have the name in a long list of casualties. The family may have added a personal death notice to their local paper, and if a popular chap they may have gotten a small obit too locally. But nothing would be said on the wider broadcast spectrum of the death, or how he died, and when, and why. Now however within minutes of such a combat death news is filtering around the world via satallite and internet to newspapers, news websites, and tlevision and radio networks, even before details are officially confirmed. Bang! It's right there in front of the entire nation who've opened Google News or turned on the TV.

Thirdly news like this sells in the news media circles, they can report the sadness of it, then question how it happened, ask why things were not done better to protect our service personnel, and then ask radical politic opposition groups to give their slanted opinion which is always against the mainstream thought. It fills news inches and minutes. And in doing so it sparks emotions with people who are faced with thinking about the situation.

Lastly I think people are always surprised these days when a combat soldier is killed because they assume that death in combat for the NZ Army has been made obsolete, through a combination of policies of the past to only do "peacekeeping" and "rebuilding" and because people assume soldiers are invulnerable thanks to modern armour and electronic equipment and weaponry. Sadly it's not the case at all. Our SAS and Army (and others) remain in danger on the front lines despite the impression that has been portrayed, and the modern foot soldier is just as in the way of harm as our infantry were in Italy in 1944 and our riflemen on the Somme were in 1916.

I don't know if that answers your query, but that's what I think.

[baz62]

But if the Government just said he was " just doing his job and knew the risks" without saying that the loss was felt imagine the outcry! And of course the media would just LOVE that!