Map - Do Ab (Bamiyan) (Do Āb)

Do Ab (also spelt Do Abe and Do ab-E Mikh-E Zarrin) is a village in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan. It is located in a pass in a mountainous region North East of Barmiyan town on the Ghandak highway 10 km from the border with Baghlan Province. It has a bazaar, a coal weigh station built in 2007 and a police check point. Do Abe is the centre of a coal mining industry that employed manual methods to extract coal from shafts in sacks. Coal seams visible on the surface are followed deep underground. The shaft roof is unsupported so accidents are common. From 2009/10 a contract was to be let to a Chinese coal mining group to extract the coal using mechanized equipment. Prior to the establishment of the weigh station coal smuggling across the border into Baghan province was rife. Kiwi 5 patrol of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team spent time in Do Abe in 2008 training the ANP in order to stop coal smuggling. This area is subject to attacks by roadside bombs. It was near Do Ab, close to the Ish Pesta ANP check point that a New Zealand soldier was later killed in a roadside bomb blast. After the IED exploded the 3 vehicles were attacked by RPGs and automatic gun fire. This led to a combined NZ/US attack on the Taliban group responsible that resulted in 13 terrorists being killed.

In August 2012 2 New Zealand soldiers were killed at Do Abe by automatic gunfire and RPG. The NZ soldiers had been called to give assistance to the ANP who were attempting to arrest a known Taliban bomb maker. The force was attacked by a second group of between 12 and 17 Taliban who shot and wounded the NZ commander, an ex SAS soldier. One of the kiwi soldiers was killed while going to rescue his wounded commander. He was Lance Corporal Malone, the great-grandson of Lt Colonel William Malone, who was killed at the battle of Chunuk Bar, Gallipoli, Turkey, leading the New Zealand forces in 1915. The other, Lance Corporal Pralli Durrer, an LAV commander, was hit by small arms fire in the head. He was standing out of the turret, attempting to deal with an ammunition fire caused by insurgent activity at the time. 2 ANP soldiers were also killed and 4 wounded. One civilian was wounded. On Anzac day 2013, it was announced by Lt General Jones of the NZ Army, that following an investigation, it was found that 2 of the wounded had been hit by shell fragments fired from a New Zealand Forces LAV 25mm cannon that was supporting the infantry. The gunner was found not to be at fault as he was firing danger close to the troops in their support following normal military procedures. In the 12minute gun battle the bomb maker escaped but one Taliban insurgent was captured. The Taliban force was seen escaping back to Baghan province to the North East. As well as 2 KIA the kiwis suffered 6 wounded in the gun battle. The NZ soldiers were unable to follow the escaping insurgents as they do not have authority to manoeuvre in Baghan province which is under the military control of the Hungarian PRT. The following day the NZ army was given authority to manoeuvre in Baghan province and reinforcements were flown to Bamiyan. In previous counter insurgency operations into Baghan Province the force has mainly comprised NZ SAS and US special forces. The two New Zealand soldiers were buried with full military honours at a ceremony in Christchurch New Zealand.