NZ soldier, Kirifi Mila, dies on patrol accident

Kirifi Mila

New Zealand soldier Kirifi Mila has died after the Humvee he was in plunged 30 metres off a cliff in Bamiyan Province in Afghanistan.

Private Mila was the turret gunner and the top half his body would have been sticking out from the vehicle at the time of the incident.

The Defence Force has also confirmed three others were injured in the accident.

It is unclear what caused the Humvee to roll off the cliff, but the Defence Force is "100% sure" it was not an attack.

Kiwi soldier killed in action

Timothy O'Donnell

Lieutenant Timothy Andrew O’Donnell, 28, was killed when the Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) was attacked in Bamiyan province.

An improvised explosive device, or IED, was detonated then the patrol came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and other small arms.

Lt O’Donnell, from Feilding, had served in the Defence Force for five years and had been honoured for his bravery during a skirmish in East Timor.

Lt O’Donnell received a Distinguished Service Decoration award in the 2008 New Year’s Honours for his services in East Timor between November 2006 and May 2007.

Two other personnel were injured in the attack; their injuries described as “serious, but not life-threatening” by defence chief Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae.