Soldier hero Willie Apiata has been confirmed as one of the army's elite Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers in Afghanistan.
Apiata, the first soldier to win the Victoria Cross since World War 2, was photographed on the streeets of Afghanistan capital Kabul after Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the city earlier this week.
The New Zealand soldiers were helping Afghanistan forces restore and keep order.
The photograph of a bearded Apiata and another Kiwi soldier was taken by photographer Philip Poupin and published in The New Zealand Herald today.
Apiata's identity was confirmed by Prime Minister John Key, but he said the publication of the photograph put Apiata's life and the lives of other SAS soldiers at risk because they could be recognised.
He said it was a poor editorial decision by the Herald.
