By 3 News online staff
Two New Zealand Defence Force personnel serving in Afghanistan have been killed and six injured in a clash with insurgents.
Two local Afghan security personnel serving with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team were also killed in the attack, and a further 11 injured.
The attack occurred yesterday at 7pm (NZT) near a village south of Do Abe, in the North East of Afghanistan.
New Zealand forces were called to assist local security after they encountered suspected insurgents near a village.
Prime Minister John Key has expressed his sadness at the news.
"It is with enormous sadness that I acknowledge that these soldiers have paid the highest price,” he says. “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the two brave soldiers killed and also with the families and friends of those injured."
Mr Key says the deaths reinforce the daily danger New Zealand forces face in Afghanistan.
The Defence Force is currently contacting next of kin and will not release the names of the soldiers for 24 hours - allowing time for the families to grieve.
Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones has offered his condolences to those in the attack.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and, on behalf of the entire New Zealand Defence Force, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, colleagues and friends of the personnel involved,” he said in a statement.
The death toll of New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan is now seven.
A media conference will be held at midday at Whenuapai Air Force Base in Auckland.
Team carried out frequent patrols
The two dead and six wounded New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan were part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, established in 2002 to help maintain security and assist development in the Bamyan province.
The New Zealand Defence Force says as part of that job, they conduct frequent patrols throughout the province.
The team numbering about 140, comprises army, navy and air force personnel.
They also promote reconstruction and assess civil, political and military reform efforts.
The Defence Force says they have helped with the distribution of emergency humanitarian assistance, particularly during the harsh winter months.
The team is based outside the town of Bamian, about 200km northwest of the capital Kabul.
The NZDF team first took over command of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan (about 200km northwest of Kabul) in September 2003.
The Defence Force says previous contingents have provided a reassuring security presence, especially during the presidential elections in October 2004 and resulting in a particularly high voter turnout.
NZ Defence Force deaths in Afghanistan
- Two soldiers died today NZT
- Corporal Douglas Hughes, 26, who died in April this year in an incident at Romero base in Bamyan
- SAS Lance Corporal Leon Smith, 33, who was killed in September 2011 during an operation in Wardak province
- SAS Corporal Doug Grant, 41, who was killed in August 2011 during a Taleban attack in Kabul
- Private Kirifi Mila, 27, who was killed in February 2011 when the Humvee he was in rolled down a 30m cliff in Bamyan
- Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell, who was killed in August 2010, when his convoy was ambushed in Bamyan.
The Government announced in May that New Zealand's mission in Afghanistan would end one year earlier than planned, in late 2013.
Watch the video for the Prime Minister’s speech from this afternoon.
3 News/NZN