www.stuff.co.nz/national/5698604/Kiwi-soldier-killed-in-Afghanistan-PM-confirmsKiwi soldier killed in Afghanistan, PM confirms
DANYA LEVY, ANDREA VANCE AND TRACY WATKINS
Last updated 13:57 28/09/2011SharePrint Text Size
TERRIBLE NEWS: Prime Minister John Key offers his condolences to the killed soldier's family and the Defence Force.Relevant offers
LATEST: A second New Zealand SAS soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key has confirmed.
In a press conference at Parliament featuring Key, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp and Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, Key said the soldier was shot during an operation in Wardak province, near Kabul, this morning (NZ time).
Key expressed his condolences to the man's family and the entire Defence Force.
"I deeply regret the loss of our soldiers but I don't regret the commitment we've made to Afghanistan," he said.
Jones said the operation was still ongoing and the name of the soldier would not be released for 24 hours. The soldier had received a head wound and had been evacuated by helicopter, but died while being operated on.
He was shot during an exchange of rifle fire involving 15 Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers.
Jones said the SAS were reacting to information about a team preparing to launch an attack on Kabul.
The operation began at 9am (NZ time) and one child and a ''fighting-aged'' male were also injured.
Key said the SAS faced volatile and dangerous conditions in order to help the people of Afghanistan.
''They are brave, resourceful and resilient and they are making a valuable contribution in Afghanistan.
''He paid the highest price for his service to this country and we will mourn his death.''
Key said the soldier's death did not alter New Zealand's commitment to helping Afghanistan and it continued to be the Government's intention to keep the SAS in the war-torn country until March 2012 as planned.
Mapp said the tempo of the insurgency in and around Kabul had increased over recent months.
About 35 SAS troops were in Kabul to mentor the Afghan police Crisis Response Unit.
Mapp said whenever the troops were sent out with the unit, whether they were directly involved in an operations or in support, there was a risk of New Zealand casualties.
''Whether they are in the cordon or supporting the assault, they are in range of insurgent attack.''
Two soldiers from the US Army were killed in Wardak, which is mostly under Taleban control, last week after a reported insurgent attack.
Carlos Aparicio, 19, and Rafael Bigai Baez, 28, died from wounds sustained when insurgents used an improvised explosive device to attack their unit on September 23.
A TERRIBLE TOLL
Last month SAS soldier Doug Grant, 41, was killed after an attack by the Taleban at the British Council diplomatic offices.
Ad Feedback Grant was killed in the country's capital, Kabul, helping save the lives of three British civilians and two Gurkha security guards.
Lieutenant Timothy Andrew O'Donnell, 28, was killed in August 2010.
He and two of his fellow soldiers were injured when their patrol was ambushed in the province of Bamiyan.
New Zealand troops were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001.
The National-led Government redeployed the SAS to Kabul in 2009 and the troops are due to come home in March 2012.
New Zealand also has a peacekeeping unit, the Provincial Reconstruction Team, based in Bamiyan.
That unit has been there since 2003 and is due to pull out in September 2014.
- Stuff
