Roadside bomb kills 3 New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan

Three New Zealand soldiers have been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) confirmed Monday. The three members of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan Province died when an improvised explosive device exploded at about 9.20 a.m. Afghanistan time on Sunday, said a statement from the NZDF. The troops were traveling in the last vehicle in a convoy when it was hit by the blast. The remaining personnel in the patrol secured the location and waited for support, said the statement. "We are deeply saddened by this loss, especially given the recent incident on Aug. 4," Chief of the New Zealand Defense Force, Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, said in the statement. Two other New Zealand soldiers in the provincial reconstruction team died on Aug. 4 in an attack by insurgents. "On behalf of the entire New Zealand Defense Force, I extend my deepest sympathies to the families, colleagues and friends of the personnel involved," said Jones.