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Hager, Nicky,

Hit & run : the New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the meaning of honour / Hit and run Nicky Hager & Jon Stephenson. - Nelson, New Zealand Potton & Burton 2017. - 159 pages : colour illustrations, colour portraits ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"In August 2010, a New Zealand soldier died in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. In retaliation, the New Zealand SAS led a raid on two isolated villages in search of the fighters they suspected were responsible. They all knew the rules. Prior to firing weapons, their freshly issued orders said, 'the commander approving the strike must determine that no civilians are present.' If they could not assess whether civilians were present, firing was prohibited. But it all went horribly wrong. None of the fighters were found but, by the end of the raid, 21 civilians were dead or wounded. Most were children or women, including a three-year old girl who was killed. A dozen houses had been burnt or blown up. The operation was personally approved by the prime minister via phone from New Zealand. More missions against the group of fighters and more potential crimes of war followed, including the beating and torture of a prisoner. Afterwards no one took responsibility. The New Zealand military denied the facts and went to great lengths to cover things up. This book is the story of those events. It is, at heart, about the meaning of honour; about who we want to be and what we believe in as New Zealanders"--Cover.

ISBN: 9780947503390 0947503390

Subjects--Corporate Names:
New Zealand. Army. Special Air Service.

Subjects--Topical Terms:
Afghan War, 2001---Casualties.
Civilian war casualties.

Subjects--Geographic Terms:
Afghanistan--History--2001-

LC Class. No.: UA874.6.S6 / H34 2017