Kiwi SAS troops under fire

The New Zealand SAS troops left the guesthouse quickly and quietly after the shootout in which some of the Taleban insurgents were killed. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand's elite SAS troops have been involved in another firefight in Afghanistan, and once again press photographers have captured them in action.

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that up to 15 Special Air Service soldiers were part of an Afghan-led force that turned out when a car bomb explosion killed eight civilians in Kabul on Friday.

In the aftermath, they fought Taleban rebels in a guesthouse for about an hour.

By the time the battle was over, a total of at least 17 people had been killed.

French photographer Lionel de Coninck was on hand at the end of the 90-minute shootout and captured images of the New Zealand soldiers.

"The SAS guys, they went straight into the hotel and the whole street was blocked by police," de Coninck told 3 News last night.

"We could not see what was exactly going on in the guesthouse. After an hour, hour-and-a-half of fighting inside the hotel, they walked right out and left the scene pretty quietly and armed."

Mr Key earlier confirmed that "some members of the SAS" were fired upon by insurgents and had returned fire.

"Before the insurgents could be apprehended by Afghan security forces, they blew themselves up. No SAS personnel were hurt. There were some civilian casualties from the initial car bomb blast."

Mr Key said the SAS were likely to be involved in further combat. "The SAS are there to act on what is required of them. Some of that is combat."

The details follow the Prime Minister's decision last month to reveal more details of SAS operations.

He said Friday's incident was the first instance of a shootout where the SAS had opened fire that he was aware of since he had started receiving such reports.

The Al Jazeera news service reported that the first blast occurred about 6.45am, local time, near Kabul's largest shopping centre in the main commercial district. Two smaller ones followed.

Gunfire broke out as a crisis team and emergency services arrived.

Kabul correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid described the attack as Taleban defiance in the face of a major Nato-led offensive in the bloodier Helmand province to the south.

"An attack like this one sends a message that no one is really safe, that even a city like Kabul, with heavy security, is not safe from the conflict any more."

This is only the second time the Government has shed light on SAS activities, following the decision that withholding information - a longstanding policy - was no longer justifiable.

Last year, the SAS destroyed a rocket station on the outskirts of Kabul that had been abandoned by rebels preparing to fire into the city.

Last month, the SAS were photographed in Kabul during an incident in which insurgents attacked six Afghan government and commercial buildings. The Kiwis did not fire shots.

At the time, a photograph of Victoria Cross holder Corporal Willie Apiata sparked questions over whether media coverage would make the celebrated soldier more of a target.

A Defence Force spokesman said last night that it was fine to publish pictures and video as long as the identities of the soldiers were protected.

The SAS returned last year to Afghanistan as part of an 18-month commitment, training an elite group of Afghans known as the Crisis Response Unit. The Kiwis are not expected to remain beyond the present commitment.

They are authorised to conduct missions including reconnaissance, combat operations and military assistance.

Mr Key originally said the SAS would not fight alongside the Afghans they would be training because it was "particularly dangerous".

Green MP Keith Locke said the war was intense and "the presence of foreign troops doesn't seem to be improving the situation".

He said New Zealand's money would be better spent on more reconstruction rather than on combat troops.


Kabul firefight:

* Up to 15 SAS troops involved.

* At least three explosions, one definite car bomb.

* SAS engage Taleban troops, some of whom blew themselves up.

* Total dead at least 17, with 32 wounded.

* No Kiwis wounded.