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'.

New Zealand and Australian defence heads deny forces are hindering progress in Afghanistan.

Senior Australian MPs from opposite sides of politics have defended Opposition Leader Tony Abbott following edited television footage of him apparently describing the death of an Australian soldier as "shit happens".

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

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.

Major General Lou Gardiner, the Chief of Army for three years until he retired last year after 39 years service, said he would back what the SAS troops said over anyone else.

The Defence Force insists that New Zealand SAS troops in Afghanistan involved in a fatal shootout were fired upon first.

The NZ Defence Force says SAS soldiers were acting in self defence when they led a raid on a factory in Afghanistan in which two soldiers were killed.

New Zealand soldiers have been accused of being involved in a botched raid on a factory in Afghanistan which left two workers dead.

Chief Petty Officer Steve Clarke received the best Christmas gift ever yesterday: Watching his children unwrap their presents.

When his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer this week, Squadron Leader Steve Hall was determined to make it home from Afghanistan.

Dr Marc Shaw, serving in Afghanistan, writes about his experience of a Christmas far from home.