John Key

Wellington, March 2 NZPA - A security expert says the Government was right to reveal that SAS troops were involved in a fire fight in Kabul, but it shouldn't get carried away to the extent it might compromises their safety.

Prime Minister John Key confirmed yesterday up to 15 SAS troops were involved, with Afghan security forces, in an incident on Friday which left at least 16 people dead.

He said some members of the SAS were fired on by insurgents, and they returned fire.

Some of the insurgents were wounded, but they had blown themselves up before they could be detained.

No SAS soldiers were injured.

Today Dr Ron Smith, co-director of Waikato University's international relations and security studies programme, said the action was appropriate under the terms of the SAS deployment.

"I think we knew from the outset that their role this time was going to be near Kabul, and mentoring and supporting Afghan security forces, and that's exactly what the incident confirms," he said.

Dr Smith said Mr Key's announcement was a new development in the Government's attitude to SAS activities.

"We've had, for a long time, a practice of almost being embarrassed about what is going on," he said.

"Although deployments were acknowledged, we didn't want to acknowledge what they were doing."

Dr Smith said international media had drawn attention to those activities, which had obliged the Government to reveal more about them.

"I think that's good," he said.

"I just think that now we've started it, it's important not go get carried away because there is something in the traditional explanation of not confirming or denying, or not commenting, because intelligence is involved and commenting on what one's forces are doing can prejudice their security."

Dr Smith said that in the past some political leaders had been "a little ambiguous" about New Zealand troops carrying guns and shooting people.

"I think that was a great mistake...of course, other people are carrying guns and shooting back at you."

French photographer Lionel de Coninck told TV3 last night he took photos of the New Zealand soldiers after a 90-minute battle inside a guesthouse.

"The SAS guys, they went straight into the hotel and the whole street was blocked by police," he said.

"After an hour and a half of fighting inside the hotel, they walked right out and left the scene pretty quietly."