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.

New Zealand military fatalities since 2002 in Afghanistan

New Zealand military fatalities in Afghanistan

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
19-Aug-12	Baker, Jacinda	L-Cpl	26	Royal NZ Infantry	IED
19-Aug-12	Tamatea, Luke	Corporal	31	Royal NZ Infantry	IED
19-Aug-12	Harris, Richard	Private	21	Royal NZ Infantry	IED
4-Aug-12	Malone, Rory	L-Cpl	26	Royal NZ Infantry	Hostile fire
4-Aug-12	Durrer, Pralli	L-Cpl	26	Royal NZ Infantry	Hostile fire
3-Apr-12	Hughes, Douglas	Corporal	26	Royal NZ Infantry	IED
28-Sep-11	Smith, Leon	L-Cpl	33	SAS	Hostile fire
19-Aug-11	Grant, Doug	Corporal	41	SAS	Hostile fire
15-Feb-11	Mila, Kirifi	Private	27	Royal NZ Infantry	Accident
3-Aug-10	O'Donnell, Timothy A.	Lieutenant	28	Royal NZ Infantry	Hostile fire

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.