New Zealand deaths in Afghanistan

Two NZ troops killed, six wounded in Afghanistan

New Zealand Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman says that two New Zealand soldiers have been killed and six others injured in Afghanistan.

Press TV,

5 August, 2012

The New Zealanders came under fire while assisting Afghan security forces in a battle against suspected militants near a village south of Do Abe in the northeast of Bamyan province on Saturday, Coleman said in a statement issued on Sunday, Reuters reported.

"The NZDF [New Zealand Defense Force] was responding to local security forces coming under attack and it developed into a serious incident," the statement added.

The injured were evacuated to a military hospital.

Two members of the Afghan security forces were also killed in the incident.

The increasing number of military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the United States and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.

According to the website icasualties.org, over 270 foreign troops, mostly US personnel, have lost their lives in Afghanistan so far this year.

A total of 566 US-led forces died in Afghanistan in 2011. However, 2010 remains the deadliest year for foreign military casualties, with a death toll of 711.

Insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan, despite the presence of about 130,000 US-led forces in the country.