New Zealand Infantry Corporal Douglas Hughes

26-year-old Corporal Douglas Hughes, serving with the 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, died on 3rd April 2012 Forward Patrol Base Romeo in Bamiyan province. The cause of his death is currently being investigated.

Corporal Hughes, a Maori, had been with the NZ Defence Force for eight years. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan and was due to return home later this month. He had previously served in the Solomon Islands.

His family said in a a statement that "He was a talented sportsman with a good sense of humour who lived for his career in the Army. He will be sadly missed by his loving whanau."

Corporal Hughes leaves behind his parents, one brother and sisters. He was not married and had no children.

New Zealand soldier dies in Bamiyan province

New Zealand soldier, Corporal Douglas Hughes, with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team, has died in Afghanistan from non-combat injuries.

A statement from the Defence Force said the soldier died as a result of an "incident" at the Forward Patrol Base Romero in the north-eastern Bamiyan province at 11am (NZT). The soldier died later in hospital.

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones said: "We are saddened by this loss and, on behalf of the entire New Zealand Defence Force, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, colleagues and friends of the soldier."

New Zealand Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman said the death "did not appear to involve the actions of another party."

The circumstances surrounding the death are being investigated.

NZ Paratroop Private John Howard

The family of Private John "Jack" Howard, from Wellington, New Zealand, had his ashes interred in Karori cemetery in Wellington on Friday 9th December 2011.

Private Howard was killed while on patrol in Nad-e Ali District, Helmand province on 5th December 2010. He was serving with the British Army's 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3PARA) at the time.

Private Howard's body was flown back to England where his family was waiting, before being flown to Wellington for his funeral last year. His ashes were marked with a white marble headstone bearing the Parachute Regiment seal, the New Zealand Sunday Star Times reported.

New Zealand's Channel 3 News reported that notebooks kept by Private Howard were returned to his family after his death, and revealed a number of close calls on the battlefield. A week before his death, he was shot through his backpack. The bullet narrowly missed him.

Private Howard's death in Afghanistan is believed to have been caused by 'friendly-fire' during a U.S. airstrike by a jet on a ‘strafing run'.

His funeral last year, at Wellington's Cathedral of St Paul, included an honour guard of traditional Maori warriors while comrades from his regiment carried his Union Jack draped coffin.

SAS Lance Corporal Leon Smith

33-year-old New Zealand SAS Lance Corporal Leon Smith was killed in action on 28th September 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan. The Special Air Service trooper was shot in the head during a contact with enemy forces. He had served with the SAS since 2008 and had spent 11 of the past 24 months on combat operations.

He was part of an operation assisting Afghan police targeting an insurgent group planning an attack on Kabul. He was shot while watching over the cordon. He was evacuated by air and taken to a nearby base, but died on the operating table.

L-Cpl. Smith was an advanced medic and was first on the scene when SAS soldier Corporal Doug Grant was killed on 19th August.

Lance Corporal Smith’s family say he died doing what he loved.

NZ SAS Corporal Doug Grant

New Zealand SAS Corporal Doug Grant, age 41, was killed in action in Kabul on Friday 19th August 2011 during an operation at the British Council buildings.

Cpl. Grant, known as "Dougie", was evacuated by helicopter but died from gunshot wounds on the way to a military hospital at Bagram.

Cpl. Grant, from Linton, had spent 21 years in the New Zealand Defence Force, serving with an Infantry Regiment and with Engineers before joining the Special Air Service. He had actually left the SAS so that he could spend more time with his family but had volunteered to serve in Afghanistan.

He had served in East Timor twice, the former Yugoslavia and was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

He leaves behind his wife Tina, their seven-year-old daughter and their five-year-old son.

New Zealand SAS soldier killed in Kabul

A New Zealand special forces soldier died after being shot in the chest while attempting to free hostages trapped in the British Council Cultural Centre in Afghanistan.

The New Zealand Defence Force has confirmed that the man was shot in the chest and died on the way to hospital on Friday 18th August.

The soldier has been named as Corporal Doug Grant

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.