Dramatic footage of the fatal firefight between Kiwi soldiers and insurgents in Afghanistan has been released today, along with a Court of Inquiry report into that and another fatal incident.

The report cleared soldiers involved in a August 4, 2012 conflict with insurgents of killing their comrades in "friendly fire", though it said it caused the injuries suffered by two soldiers.

Investigations also found that correct rules of engagement were followed during the incident.

KILLED IN ACTION: Lance Corporal Rory Malone.

Lance Corporals Pralli Durrer and Rory Malone were killed in the firefight, in which six other Kiwi soldiers were injured.

Two weeks later on August 19, Corporal Luke Tamatea, Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker and Private Richard Harris died after the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones and Chief of Army Major General Dave Gawn spoke at a media conference held in Wellington this afternoon.

NZDF FALLEN: Jacinda Baker joined the army as a medic.

Three minutes of footage recorded on the helmet cameras of soldiers involved in the August 4 incident was released to media.

Shrapnel from a shell likely caused the moderate wounds suffered by two soldiers.

The inquiry had been expected to conclude two of the injured "were probably wounded by LAV shrapnel" in the confused firefight.

LUKE TAMATEA: The 31-year-old Corporal was from Kawerau.

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said the Baghak battle was one of the most complex firefights involving Defence Force personnel since the Vietnam War.

"Our soldiers performed well under fire, and displayed great courage and professionalism. It was a very intense situation and our eight casualties occurred within a chaotic 12-minute period.

"Two of our soldiers were injured as a result of friendly-fire. The reality is that while unfortunate, this is always a risk during complex combat situations," Coleman said.

SERVING NZ: Private Richard Harris.

The battle also claimed the lives of two members of the Afghan special police (NDS) and injured 11 others. Estimates of insurgent deaths ranged from five to 11 according to reports at the time.

The battle erupted after an attempt by the NDS to arrest an insurgent bomb-maker went wrong near the forward base at Do Abe (subsequently renamed Durrer-Malone). Kiwi troops rushed to their aid and came under fire from a separate group of insurgents, Defence Force Chief Lieutenant General Rhys Jones told reporters at the time.

Anti-tank weapons were used against the armoured vehicles and the group fired on the Kiwis with machineguns and rifles, injuring a key senior commander.

FALLEN: Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, 26, and Private Richard Harris, 21.

It is understood when a New Zealand Humvee came under fire a LAV was called up to give support and it was a shell from that which injured the two Kiwi soldiers, who had left their vehicle.

Army chief Major-General Dave Gawn said the firefight had been the biggest involving New Zealand troops outside of the SAS since Vietnam.

The footage had been released to show the steep and rugged terrain the fight had taken place in.

"They were aware of what they were going into in regards to possibilities, not actuals."

Within minutes of the insurgents opening fire the commanding officer had been wounded, adding to the confusion of the battle.

Lance Corporal Durrer had been shot in the chest while manning a machinegun, but had been saved by his vest.

While getting back up he noticed his ammunition was on fire and he was shot again while trying to put out the blaze, this time fatally.

Lance Corporal Malone was shot in the leg, then died instantly after being shot a second time.

The enquiry was critical of the defence force's mortuary practises, after a high-explosive grenade and two bullets were found on the body of one of the three soldiers killed by the IED explosion.

An initial search for munitions had been undertaken before the bodies were flown to Bagram where they were processed by defence staff, NZ Police and the US Army Mortuary Affairs Section.

While an x-ray scan would have been desirable none was available at the time, and a physical search had not found the explosive because of the severity of the injuries.

The grenade was eventually discovered by a pathologist at Christchurch Hospital during a post-mortem examination.

The safety bail and firing pin were still intact but it was still a dangerous situation and policies had been improved to ensure it did not occur again, he said.

"It's unacceptable to have that occur and we have to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again.