NZ troops coming home from Iraq, staying in Afghanistan for at least another 18 months Henry Cooke  Jun 10 2019.   Defence Minister Ron Mark joins Checkpoint to discuss the government's decision to withdraw troops from Iraq by mid 2020. There are currently up to 95 troops at Camp Taji training Iraqi security forces. New Zealand troops will soon be coming home from Iraq in the next year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced. But troops will remain in Afghanistan for at least another 18 months, although with a new focus. Iraq currently has 95 New Zealand personnel stationed in Camp Taji where they are training Iraqi soldiers.  Their stay in Iraq has already been extended by the Government, as they were due to come home in November of 2018.
* * New Zealand extends Iraq and Afghanistan deployments
* * Government pushes out decision on Afghanistan deployment
* * NZ won't leave Iraq high and dry - Defence Minister Ron Mark
* * Kiwi troop deployment to Iraq has been extended by 18 months
The soldiers will not come home immediately but will be slowly drawn down in the coming year, with just 45 left in January 2020 and all of the troops withdrawn by June 2020.  New Zealand has had a joint-training mission in Iraq with Australia since 2015, all part of the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve. "The New Zealand and Australian troops at Taji have worked hard, not only to provide training, but also to ensure that the ISF are well placed to take over this commitment at Taji in the near future. The goal of any training mission is to ensure that it becomes a sustainable programme," Ardern said, noting over 42,000 troops had been trained under the scheme. ISIS lost all territorial control in the Middle East earlier this year. New Zealand will slightly increase its annual contribution to an Iraqi stabilisation fund - up to $3 million from $2.4m prior - for the next three years.  The deployment in Afghanistan, which has existed in some form for almost 20 years, will continue until at least December 2020 under a new form. "The instability in Afghanistan has remained," Ardern said. "By March 2020, the number of NZDF personnel deployed in Afghanistan will have decreased from 13 to 11. This will comprise six personnel deployed to the Officer Academy, two personnel within RSM Headquarters and potentially up to three focusing on Women, Peace and Security and reconciliation and reintegration," Ardern said.   "The Government will again consider New Zealand's contributions to Afghanistan by the end of 2020." Labour heavily criticised a different extension of the Iraqi deployment while in opposition, with then-leader Andrew Little describing it as "mission creep" and promising to bring the soldiers home. The Green Party opposed the extension of both the Iraq and Afghanistan missions last year. Green Party defence spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman welcomed the drawdown of troops from Iraq. "This has been years in the making. I am thrilled that a withdrawal is finally on the horizon after years of advocacy from New Zealanders who strongly believe we don't need to follow America and Australia into the Iraq war," Ghahraman said. "With this decision, New Zealand is increasingly standing, as we have done before, as an independent principled voice against war, it is a positive step for our country". She was pleased with the change of focus in Afghanistan but hoped to see those personnel eventually brought home too.

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