WELLINGTON: A New Zealand special forces soldier was shot dead in Afghanistan while taking part in an operation against insurgents near the capital Kabul, Prime Minister John Key said Wednesday.
"I was informed earlier today that the soldier was shot while the SAS were mentoring the Afghan Crisis Response Unit during an operation in the Wardak province of Afghanistan near Kabul," Key said.
The soldier, who has not been named, is the third New Zealander to die in Afghanistan this year and the second member of the elite Special Air Services (SAS) unit.
Key said the death was a reminder of the "volatile and dangerous conditions" New Zealand soldiers still faced in Afghanistan.
"This soldier has paid the highest price for his service to this country, and we mourn his loss with heavy hearts," he said.
New Zealand has about 40 SAS troops based in Kabul and a separate taskforce carrying out reconstruction work in Bamiyan.
The SAS trops are scheduled to end their deployment in March next year, while the Bamiyan contingent will remain until 2014.
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