New Zealand combat casualties Afghanistan

We have experienceed our first combat death in Afghanistan and the first since Pte Leonard Manning was killed in East Timor in 2000.

Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack in which a vehicle patrol was attacked with an IED follwed up with RPG's and small arms fire begining at approx 12.30 GMT. As comms with the patrol are intermitent at this stage all the details are unclear.

However the Prime Minister John Key has conformed New Zealands commitment to the deployment and said this death is not a reason to withdraw. The SAS deployment is due to end in September but this is being reconsidered in order to allow the force to complete its mission.

We're one of the smallest countries in the world with a population that would be a suburb of London or New York, we do many things. Running away isn't one of them.

More here.