Hit Run

by Nicky Hager

In August 2010, a New Zealand soldier died in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. In retaliation, the New Zealand SAS led a raid on two isolated villages in search of the fighters they suspected were responsible. They all knew the rules. Prior to firing weapons, their freshly issued orders said, 'the commander approving the strike must determine that no civilians are present.' If they could not assess whether civilians were present, firing was prohibited. But it all went horribly wrong. None of the fighters were found but, by the end of the raid, 21 civilians were dead or wounded. Most were children or women, including a three-year-old girl who was killed. A dozen houses had been burnt or blown up. The operation was personally approved by the prime minister via phone from New Zealand. More missions against the group of fighters and more potential crimes of war followed, including the beating and torture of a prisoner. Afterwards no one took responsibility. The New Zealand military denied the facts and went to great lengths to cover things up. This book is the story of those events. It is, at heart, about the meaning of honour; about who we want to be and what we believe in as New Zealanders.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Hager

Reviews

[Bhaskar Pediredla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A critical look at a specific NZ SAS operation in Afghanistan that questions the morality of the actions of soldiers in a war fought far away, mostly to keep the political allies happy, Hit & Run raises awareness about potential war crimes whitewashed as regular operations.

In the age of hero worship of the defence forces, this book is a brave blasphemy to have the same accountability as everyone else.