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Defence & Security News -
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| New Zealand joins anti-ISIS coalition | |||
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New Zealand has become the latest nation to join the international coalition fighting ISIS, with Prime Minister John Key telling lawmakers, Tuesday February 24, 143 military personnel were deploying to Iraq in a non-combat role.
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 New Zealand soldier in Afghanistan |
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In a two-year mission likely to start in May, New Zealand personnel will train Iraq security forces at the Taji Military Complex north of Baghdad, Key said. He said soldiers would provide protection for the training force. Key said ISIS -- also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) -- posed a threat to stability in regions beyond the Middle East and New Zealand had "an obligation" to help support the rule of law internationally. "New Zealand is a country that stands up for its values. We stand up for what is right," he told parliament. "We do not shy away from taking our share of the burden when the international rules based system is threatened as it is today." Key said attacks in Ottawa, Sydney and Paris had underscored the risk of complacency. "To those who argue that we should not take action because it raises the threat, I say this 'the risk associated with ISIL becoming stronger and more widespread far outweighs this.'" In a statement, Key referred to New Zealanders as "prolific travelers" who were not immune from the risk posed by ISIS. "ISIL's brutality has only worsened and its outrageous actions have united an international coalition of around 62 countries to fight and degrade the group," he said. |
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