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'.

A New Zealand army soldier has lost a prestigious secondment to the Antarctic.

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.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's claim that his Cabinet colleagues were fully aware of his determination to deal with Saddam Hussein has been bluntly called into question by testimony from two of his most senior officials.

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.

The air force's 17 mothballed Skyhawk jet fighters look likely to end up as museum pieces or spare parts after a Christmas deadline passed with no sign of any money from the American buyer.

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

War medal collectors are combing death notices to harass families of late veterans for their medals.

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.