Details of the SAS incident in Afghanistan that our Government had deemed to sensitive for New Zealanders to be told about have now been revealed by the US military.

"We have an absurd situation where I have to search web-sites to get any information about what our troops are doing in Afghanistan," said Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mr Locke.

"My latest 'briefing' comes from an AP story on the ABC news website. In it, US military spokesperson Colonel Roger King fills in the detail of this week's incident, in which three SAS soldiers were injured.

"Colonel King says the soldiers were in a four-wheel drive north of the town of Farah in South-western Afghanistan, and after the accident were flown to the US base hospital in Kandahar, where two were treated for shrapnel wounds and one has his foot amputated.

"Although Colonel King doesn't say the soldiers were New Zealanders the description of the accident and the injuries is consistent with the incident as reported here.

"This makes another mockery of the veil of secrecy our government has thrown around this latest accident, and New Zealand's involvement in the war in general.

"I am getting sick of having to consult overseas web-sites to find out what the government should be telling us. I have had to do this to find out how many SAS troops were there (around 40), which region they are in (southern Afghanistan) and who they are fighting alongside (the Americans, Australians and some Europeans, but apparently not British.)

"The Government says further information will put the lives of our soldiers at risk," said Keith Locke. "Are they now going to accuse the American military of endangering New Zealand lives?"

The web-site containing the AP report is: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/STRIKE_MAIN.html

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