MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The armed forces were responding to the allegations made in "Hit & Run," a book released earlier in the day in New Zealand that suggested six civilians died and 15 were injured during a raid by New Zealand, US and Afghan troops of two Afghan villages in 2010.
According to the The Guardian newspaper, the NZDF said an investigation into the 2010 events had already been conducted, and now the NZDF stood by its 2011 statement, which said that the probe had "concluded that the allegations of civilian casualties were unfounded."
"The NZDF is confident that New Zealand personnel conducted themselves in accordance with the applicable rules of engagement," the NZDF said, as quoted by the newspaper.
According to media reports, the book's authors, Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson, used multiple interviews of the villages' residents, as well as the soldiers of New Zealand and Afghan armed forces.
The book reportedly alleged that the attack was a retaliation for the death of New Zealand's Lt. Tim O'Donnell and that the soldiers did not help wounded civilians.
