Prime Minister Bill English will be meeting with military leaders this morning as pressure mounts on the government to launch an inquiry into allegations New Zealand soldiers killed civilians in Afghanistan.
The book Hit & Run, written by journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson and released last week, alleges SAS troops killed six innocent villagers and injured 15 others in Baghlan Province in 2010 during a revenge raid after the death of Timothy O'Donnell.
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The book also alleges that details of the botched raid, which failed to kill any insurgents at all, were covered-up by the New Zealand Defence Force.
The book's authors, opposition parties, and top lawyers have been pushing for an inquiry, but the government and the New Zealand Defence Force have repeatedly denied that civilians were killed, citing an investigation carried out by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2011, clearing Kiwi troops of wrongdoing.
Wayne Mapp, who was Defence Minister at the time of the attack, admitting that civilians had been killed and the entire operation was "disastrous" and "a fiasco".
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and Defence Force chief Tim Keating have recently returned from a secret visit to NZDF trainers in Iraq, and Prime Minister Bill English has said that he would be briefed by them before making any decisions on an inquiry.
"We're taking a considered approach to it," English said yesterday. "We're not going to be rushed in by a public relations blitz."
The Prime Minister also reiterated his faith and trust in the military yesterday:
"We haven't indicated that they have acted outside their rules, or any indication they haven't acted with complete professionalism," he said.
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