By Elizabeth Puranam
The Government says the SAS soldier killed today in Afghanistan was shot while assisting Afghan police trying to prevent an attack on Kabul.
While the Prime Minister says the tragedy won’t change his decision to recommit troops to Afghanistan, an expert believes it could lead to a shift in their role.
It is the second time in as many months the Government has announced the death of an SAS soldier. Defence won’t name him until tomorrow, to give his family enough time to inform extended family.
But they say he died while assisting elite Afghan police carrying out an arrest in Wardak province, not far from Kabul, in an area mostly under Taliban control.
“The people in that compound opened fire with rifle fire and there were also some explosions,” Defence Force Chief Lieutenant Rhys Jones said.
The SAS soldier was shot in the head with a rifle.
His death brings the total number of soldiers killed while serving with the New Zealand forces in Afghanistan to four.
But the Prime Minister is standing by his decision to redeploy the SAS till next March.
“I think it’s been the toughest decision I’ve made, but I continue to believe it was the right decision,” John Key says.
Insurgency attacks typically increase in the summer months and one foreign affairs specialist says pulling out of Afghanistan now won’t be an option for the Government.
“Let’s put this into perspective,” says Auckland Uni Foreign Affairs Analyst Stephen Hoadley. “The Australians have lost 28 soldiers, the United States well over 1000 – so if New Zealand decided to leave now because of the increased danger, it wouldn’t look good that New Zealand really wasn’t bearing its fair share of the burden.”
But Mr Hoadley says he wouldn’t be surprised if the SAS changed its role.
“It’s quite possible that new instructions will be given from Wellington to Kabul to indicate that the SAS should be training and mentoring and not getting in harms way.”
The Defence Force will reveal more information about today’s attack, as well as the soldier’s name, at 2pm tomorrow.
3 News