A US soldier has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murders of three unarmed Afghan civilians.

New Zealand's military presence in Bamiyan will remain at current levels for at least a year.

The US is facing a severe backlash after the publication of horrific images documenting 'trophy' killings committed by US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Refugees have left Christchurch in their droves.

Massive earthquake damage in Christchurch means Kirifi Mila, the New Zealand soldier killed in Afghanistan last week, will be buried in Hamilton without a formal military farewell from his army mates.

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says NZ troops making progress in a dangerous area of Afghanistan.

The body of Private Kirifi Mila, killed in a road accident in Afghanistan, has begun its journey home to New Zealand after being farewelled from Kiwi Base overnight.

The body of Private Kirifi Mila, killed in a motor accident while serving in Afghanistan on Tuesday, is expected to return to New Zealand next week, the Defence Force says.

The death of a soldier in Afghanistan is at least the ninth time in 12 years a NZ soldier has been killed in a vehicle accident.

The soldier killed when the vehicle he was in rolled down a cliff in Afghanistan was the sixth New Zealander - the fourth in the past year - to die in the country since the conflict began.

The soldier killed in a road crash in Afghanistan was a popular member of his unit who will be sorely missed, the New Zealand Defence Force says.

The New Zealand solider killed in a vehicle crash in Afghanistan has been named. The Defence Force said he was a popular member of his unit and well known as a 'colourful character'.

Paul Torday produces an intriguing page-turner that won't fail to surprise.

Mass haka, Maori culture-infused church services and helpings of roast lamb and kumara are among the ways expat Kiwis will be remembering home this Waitangi Day.

An Australian digger has been killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb.

John Key says he is confident security for the Rugby World Cup will not be compromised by extending the deployment of the SAS in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister John Key has confirmed the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) deployment to Afghanistan will be extended for another year from April - but it will be around half the size of the current deployment.

The Taleban is resorting to desperate measures to retain control in an Afghanistan region.

The godfather of the Taleban, one of Pakistan's most prominent retired spies, has died of a heart attack in the wilds of Waziristan while held captive by Islamist militants he helped spawn.

NZ SAS soldiers fired weapons in self-defence when they killed two security guards in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, an investigation by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and the NZ Defence Force has found.

A former Australian soldier has been sentenced to 20 years in jail in Afghanistan for murdering a colleague.