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Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO
Governor-General of New Zealand
Death of SAS soldier in Afghanistan
20 August 2011
It was with much sadness that my wife Susan and I learnt of the death of a New Zealand Special Air Service soldier in
Afghanistan.
The NZSAS soldier was part of a New Zealand contingent that, along with Afghan and other forces, responded to a Taliban
attack on the compound of the British Council in Kabul. The soldier, whose name has not been released at this time, is
the third member of the New Zealand Defence Force to die in Afghanistan, following the deaths of Lieutenant Tim
O’Donnell DSD in August last year and Private Kirifi Mila in February this year.
Military service carries many risks, none more so than for those members of the Defence Force serving in Afghanistan,
working to bring peace and stability to this this war-torn Middle Eastern country. The soldier’s presence in Afghanistan
exemplified his dedication to the New Zealand Defence Force and the New Zealand mission to that country.
At this sad time, on behalf of all New Zealanders, Susan and I extend our sincerest sympathies to the family, friends
and comrades-in-arms of the deceased soldier. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand
Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief