Prime Minister John Key says he accepts full responsibility for the deployment of New Zealand troops in Afghanistan but he sees no need to end their service early after the death of an SAS soldier yesterday.

A New Zealand SAS soldier died on the way to hospital in Afghanistan last night after being shot in the chest after a group of suicide attackers stormed a British compound in the capital, Kabul.

Family members want accountability over the death of Byron Solomon on the HMNZS Canterbury, ruled preventable by a coroner. The 22-year-old was the first Navy sailor to die in active duty in 37 years when he drowned in 2007.

A navy commander downed glass after glass of white wine and embarrassed....