KEY POINTS:
A controlled explosion of old ammunition by New Zealand troops in Afghanistan has damaged the remains of the famous Bamiyan Buddha statues, news agency AFP is reporting today.
However, the New Zealanders are denying the allegation.
Kiwi troops serving with the Nato-led force and a UN-led disarmament group conducted the blasts on Thursday, causing some damage to the smaller of the two historic structures, an official said.
The sacred site had first been ransacked by Taleban forces seven years ago.
"The explosion has caused damage to the remains of one of the Buddhas," Najibullah Harar, head of the information and culture department in Bamiyan province, told AFP, referring to the 38-metre-tall statue.
"It has also destroyed a historic wall around the smaller statue," Harar said.
The structure once stood several metres from a 55-metre-tall statue, now also in pieces. Their destruction in 2001 has left behind two large niches.
"The explosion was against the standard norms of protecting historic heritages," Harar said.
The New Zealand Defence Force is disputing its troops damaged the statue's remains.
Spokesman Captain Zac Prendergast confirmed today that the troops disposed of a rocket but said all care was used and there was no damage.
"They surrounded the area and covered the rocket with sandbags and when they had effected the detonation the crater was the size of a small puddle," he told Radio New Zealand.
"The sandbags on top have restricted the blast."
Capt Prendergast said the team assessed the site and found it was "unlikely" there was damage to the surrounding area.
The Taleban destroyed the nearly 2000-year-old Buddhas months before their regime was toppled in a US-led invasion in late 2001.
The Islamic militia, which ruled much of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, blew up the structures citing a strict Islamic law that bans statues.
- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF, AGENCIES
