Fallen Soldier's mother welcomes release of footage of battle

Soldier's mother welcomes release of footage
New Zealand Herald
By Matthew Theunissen
Jun 14, 2013

The mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan says footage released by the Defence Force of a firefight between New Zealand troops and insurgents shows how well our soldiers are trained.

The footage was released yesterday following a Court of Inquiry into the deaths of five New Zealanders in two separate incidents just two weeks apart in August last year.

Lynne McSweeney, whose son Corporal Luke Tamatea was killed when the humvee he was in ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bamiyan Province, told Radio New Zealand she welcomed the release of the footage because it showed how difficult conditions were in Afghanistan.

"It certainly wasn't a walk in the park. The actual terrain that they worked in made their job so difficult and so I think it's important that people understand that.

"But it also shows, I believe, how well trained the soldiers were. To me, the way that they were able to take control of that ambush is testimony to their training and their ability.''
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