First NZ soldier killed in Afghanistan

New Zealand has suffered its first combat fatality in Afghanistan, with a soldier killed in an ambush in the Bamiyan province that left another two NZ troops and an Afghan interpreter wounded.

New Zealand Defense Force Chief Lt. Gen. Jerry Mateparae says the three wounded in the attack on Tuesday had serious injuries but that were not life-threatening AP reported.

The Defense Department said the dead soldier, Lt. Tim O’Donnell from Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, died when a roadside bomb went off under his patrol vehicle. It added that the patrol then came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades.

New Zealand’s troops in Afghanistan are part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. About 140 New Zealanders are stationed in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan and 80 special force soldiers are based in Kabul.