Mapp: Bamyan dangerous but NZ troops making progress

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The corner of the Bamyan Province where Private Kirifi Mila died and Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell was killed last year has been troubled but the New Zealand troops there have made progress, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says.

Dr Mapp briefed MPs at Parliament's foreign affairs select this morning on New Zealand's provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan.

Pte Mila, 27, died when the Humvee he was in rolled down a 30 metre cliff about 8.40pm on Tuesday (NZ time). Two others were injured.

The accident happened near the village of Ferosak in the northeast of Bamyan province, about 30km from where New Zealand Lt O'Donnell was killed by a bomb last year.

Dr Mapp said the area when the men died had seen a series of improvised explosive device attacks over several years, "which effectively culminated in a much more sophisticated attack which led to the death of Lieutenant O'Donnell last year. We could see a pattern developing... right through 2009-2010."

Concerns had mounted that something could happen.

"That at some point in time you would receive the phone call which you did not want to receive at something like 3 o'clock in the morning and unfortunately that is exactly what happened last year."

Dr Mapp said Pte Mila died on patrol, as part of the efforts to build trust and interact with people.

"We do ask our young men and women to take the risk on behalf of New Zealand on the basis that we believe we are making a real difference to build a capacity in this province."

Violent activity in the area had reduced but he could not be confident it would stay that way.

"It is a delicate situation that will require patient work."

Green MP Keith Locke asked why the troops could not be pulled out, given how well things were going overall in Bamyan Province.

"Why haven't you got a specific timetable for transition?"

New Zealand is one of 52 nations involved in The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan.

Dr Mapp said it was not entirely up to the Government to pull out. Afghanistan's national Government and the Nato-ISAF leadership made decisions.

"In truth it is clear to me that there's an obvious building of capacity within the province... but we also have challenges in the north east as well.

Experience in East Timor and the Solomons when violence broke out after peacekeeping forces left was a warning.

"It's actually quite fragile and it takes quite a while in my view to build a level of confidence within the community that they can be assured the transition is sustainable."

Dr Mapp also said driver training may be looked at but he wanted to see what came out of the investigation into the death.

"You can hardly change your training until you know what learnings are required," he later told reporters.

The roads in the province were "exceptionally challenging".

Dr Mapp said he may raise the idea of using Humvees in New Zealand for training.

Previously the idea of sending light armoured vehicles was raised and Dr Mapp said he was not ruling that out, considering roading was improving.

- NZPA