Hostile terrain in a troubled region

An Afghan girl walks home in the mountainous fields of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Photo / Getty Images

The attack in which Lieutenant Timothy O'Donnell died yesterday was in a particularly troubled part of Afghanistan, where the mountainous terrain lends itself to ambushes by Taleban insurgents and criminals.

Highly experienced patrol commander Lt O'Donnell's convoy of two Humvees and two Toyota Hilux vehicles was on what Air Vice-Marshal Peter Stockwell yesterday described as a routine patrol in the northeastern area of Bamiyan Province, where the New Zealand provincial reconstruction team's (NZPRT) mission is to extend civil authority.

The patrols are an exercise in demonstrating and maintaining the presence of the NZPRT and liaising with local authorities but are its most dangerous work.

However the task is rendered more difficult due to the tensions between ethnic groups including the Hazaras, the Bamiens and the Pashtuns.

At about 4am Afghanistan time while travelling on the main highway, the convoy had just passed through the village of Dahan-e Eshposhteh, several hours to the northeast of Bamiyan town where Kiwi Base is located.

The "complex attack" began with the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) which is understood to have exploded under one of the vehicles of Lt O'Donnell's convoy.

The IED was "substantial" and subsequent small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire was accurate and came from at least two locations.

"It was a well planned and co-ordinated attack from what we can assess at the moment," said Air Vice-Marshal Stockwell.

The patrol was able to get themselves out of their vehicles, seek cover in a nearby building and consolidate their position. The New Zealand soldiers' response including tactics, techniques and procedures was "very professional", chief of the New Zealand Defence Force Lieutenant-General Jerry Mateparae said.

Unfortunately low cloud in the area meant close air support could not be provided for the soldiers in the immediate aftermath of the attack, Air Vice-Marshal Stockwell said.

"Likewise we couldn't get any helicopter medical evacuation in. We had to rely on road recovery."

It had yet to be established exactly how and when Lt O'Donnell died but Air Vice-Marshal Stockwell said faster medical evacuation was unlikely to have saved his life.

Teams from Kiwi Base and from an NZPRT forward patrol base, along with Afghanistan base National Security Defence and National Police were dispatched but took hours to arrive.

Meanwhile, the attackers had dispersed within 20 or 30 minutes of the attack. Air Vice-Marshal Stockwell said insurgents had now become adept at timing the duration of their attacks to avoid the coalition response.

It was not known how many insurgents were involved, there was no indication of any casualties sustained by them and it was not known whether they were Taleban or part of the "criminal element" present in the area.

The steep terrain on either side of the road "certainly lends itself to this type of attack, and this is following the trend of the type of attack we've experienced over the years".

In this instance the attack demonstrated sophisticated planning and execution.

"They would have been watching the patrol and would have been well situated to take advantage of the route of travel."

Air Vice-Marshal Stockwell said defence forces would now carry out a detailed site examination, with a specific focus on the use of the IED.

"We will ... conduct a full investigation to establish exactly what occurred and to try and learn from it."