Apiata was re-deployed to Afghanistan with the NZSAS in 2009 when the New Zealand government opted to return troops to that country . Responding in the aftermath of the January 2010 attacks in Kabul , Apiata was photographed by French photojournalist Philip Poupin . Poupin , who did not know Apiata , photographed Apiata and two companions as they were leaving the " thick of the fight " because " They looked like foreign troops and they were tall and had a specific face , they looked tough and strong " . One photo was widely reproduced in New Zealand newspapers , prompting Prime Minister John Key to publicly acknowledge that Apiata was one of the soldiers depicted . The publication has also reopened the debate on the publication of images identifying New Zealand Special Forces personnel with some concerns that in doing so Apiata could become a target for insurgents
January 2010 attacks
January 2010 attack in central Kabul
Willie Apiata