Defence Minister statement on Afghanistan incident

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says this incident highlights the reality of operations in Afghanistan.

"The work our personnel undertake in Afghanistan is dangerous. Our people are well trained and are prepared to respond to a range of situations," says Dr Coleman.

"While we have a preliminary understanding of what occurred, there will be an investigation into this incident.

"My thoughts are with our injured soldier and his family, and I wish him a speedy recovery. I would like to thank the Australian Defence Force for their timely and professional assistance in responding to this incident, which also resulted in one of their soldiers sustaining some injuries.

"New Zealand is committed to playing our part, working with our international partners and the Afghan government, to secure the gains that have been made over the last decade in Afghanistan.

"While our contribution of 27 personnel is relatively small, our personnel are valued for their contribution alongside our international partners during the final stages of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission.

"ISAF has a number of force protection measures in place for personnel who work closely with Afghan National Security Forces to help mitigate the risks from potential insider attacks. This is the thirteenth 'insider attack' this year which is actually a 69% decrease compared with last year."