Dili - A New Zealand soldier was shot dead yesterday by suspected pro-Jakarta militia in East Timor, the first combat casualty since a UN-backed peace enforcement team arrived last September, officials said.
"Pte Leonard William Manning died as a result of a gunshot wound in an exchange of fire with an armed group," said Capt Dan Hurren, an Australian officer in the south-western town of Suai. Manning (24) was shot around mid-morning when New Zealand troops tracking militia fighters in a rugged border area were fired on, he said. He was shot in the head. Capt Hurren said airborne infantry and reconnaissance helicopters had been mobilised to find the militia group.