Hit and Run Book

Australia’s inquiry into its special forces shows up NZ’s pathetic efforts

The far from admirable contrasting culture in our own defence force has been made obvious.

By Nicky Hager | 19th November, 2020

SAS did nothing wrong, but senior military officers misled public: report

It wasn’t a revenge raid after an attack killed a New Zealand soldier, a government inquiry into Operation Burnham has found.

By Justin Giovannetti | 31st July, 2020

Contributing writer

The fog of time: why the Defence Force’s Hit and Run admission really matters

A year after the publication of a book alleging civilian deaths in a botched NZ raid in Afghanistan, the Defence Force has quietly conceded its operation was in the same village depicted by the authors, and it makes the case for an inquiry overwhelming

By Toby Manhire | 14th March, 2018

Editor-at-large

Bill English says no inquiry into Hit & Run claims – his reasons, and Hager’s response

The PM has said there will not be an independent inquiry into the allegations around Operation Burnham, which according to the Hager-Stephenson account killed nine civilians. These are his key justifications, and the author's reaction

By Toby Manhire | 3rd April, 2017

Editor-at-large

An inquiry into the Hit and Run claims is now essential. And there is an obvious person to lead it

The actions described in the book Hit & Run could constitute war crimes under the Geneva Convention. The case for an independent inquiry is now becoming overwhelming, writes geopolitical analyst Paul Buchanan.

By Paul Buchanan | 31st March, 2017

L-R: Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp, journalist Jon Stephenson, NZ Defence Force head Tim Keating

‘As a nation we owe it to ourselves to find out’: former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp admits he was a source for Hit and Run

The former National MP and defence minister says civilian death suggestions are plausible, and that NZ needs to ‘find out what really happened’ in Operation Burnham.

By The Spinoff | 30th March, 2017

Tirgiran locals: ‘Tirgiran is not a village, and therefore “Tirgiran Village” does not exist’

Tirgiran locals: ‘Tirgiran is not a village, and therefore “Tirgiran Village” does not exist’

Residents of the Afghan area where NZ forces undertook Operation Burnham in 2010 say the NZ Defence Force claim it took place in Tirgiran Village is a nonsense, while Hit & Run authors have conceded they were 2km out in locating sites

By Toby Manhire | 29th March, 2017

Editor-at-large

Jon Stephenson on Native Affairs, 2014

Hit & Run author Jon Stephenson responds to ‘wrong village’ claim from NZ Defence Force

The Chief of NZ Defence has dismissed Hager and Stephenson's book, saying Operation Burnham took place not in the villages they identify but instead in Tirgiran Village, 2km south. And Stephenson himself said, in a 2014 report, that the raid occurred in Tirgiran Village. We asked Stephenson to explain.

By Toby Manhire | 28th March, 2017

Editor-at-large

Hit and Run: What are crucial differences in authors’ vs Defence Force version of events?

Hit and Run: What are crucial differences in authors’ vs Defence Force version of events?

Following a remarkable press conference by the chief of the Defence Force, we point to the critical disputes about what took place during the 2010 NZ-led raid in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan.

By Toby Manhire | 27th March, 2017

Editor-at-large

The Hit & Run stakes just got even higher. Here are the rival views, from NZ Defence and Hager/Stephenson

The Hit & Run stakes just got even higher. Here are the rival views, from NZ Defence and Hager/Stephenson

The Chief of the NZ Defence Force has wholesale rejected Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson's account of events in Hit & Run. Hager and Stephenson have responded in turn, saying the Defence Force claim is 'incorrect and implausible'

By The Spinoff | 26th March, 2017

Islamuddin, an Afghan who the book claims was killed by New Zealand sniper fire. He had just returned home from university.(Photo: Jon Stephenson/Hit and Run)

Hit and Run is not ‘war as usual’

The government response to the revelations contained in Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson's Hit and Run have so far amounted to a collective shoulder shrug. Felix Geiringer explains why that's simply not good enough.

By Felix Geiringer | 23rd March, 2017

Hacks, devotees and cheese: the scene from the floor at the Hager book launch

Hacks, devotees and cheese: the scene from the floor at the Hager book launch

Jess McAllen paints the picture from a Unity Books packed with media, activists and more, eager to discover the subject of the new book and the quality of the catering.

By Jessica McAllen | 22nd March, 2017

Contributing writer

Hit & Run: A depressingly credible account of blunder, bloodshed and cover-up

Hit & Run: A depressingly credible account of blunder, bloodshed and cover-up

In their new book Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson offer evidence of a botched raid that killed six civilians and led to a scramble to conceal the truth. Danyl Mclauchlan reviews Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the Meaning of Honour and weighs up the prospects for an inquiry.

By Danyl Mclauchlan | 22nd March, 2017

Contributing writer

‘She was in her mother’s arms when a piece of shrapnel hit her head’, a local told the authors of 3-year-old Fatima. Photograph: Jon Stephenson

Fatima was three. Was she killed in our name?

We appear to have been systemically lied to about what our soldiers do in our name, and that is intolerable, writes Andrew Geddis

By Andrew Geddis | 21st March, 2017

Contributing writer

New Hager book is Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the Meaning of Honour

New Hager book is Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the Meaning of Honour

Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson have just published Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the meaning of honour, which they say 'tells the story of a dark and guilty secret of New Zealand's recent history'. Here is the Q&A they have issued to press.

By The Spinoff | 21st March, 2017