Afghan operation extended

New Zealand will extend its military presence in Afghanistan's Bamyan province by a year to September 2006 and two police officers are being added, says Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Another 10 Defence personnel are being added to the provincial reconstruction team, boosting the unit to 120 people.

The two extra police officers will help to train local Afghani police officers.

Helen Clark also revealed that the Government was reviewing police involvement in future peacekeeping operations because of the increasing number of requests being received.

She said the Defence deployment to the province was now in its second year and would be extended from September for another 12 months.

"New Zealand has made a major commitment for a small country in Afghanistan. Allowing Afghanistan to fail would be very counter-productive to global efforts to get on top of terrorism."

The cost of the Defence deployment from January 1 this year until September 2006 would be just over $34 million, with the nine-month police mission beginning in March costing a further $300,000.

Helen Clark said an increasing number of requests for police were being received, so the Government was reviewing the kind of peacekeeping commitments it might take part in.

"There may be a need for us to regularise what the police are doing by looking at an international service group so the police can plan around participating in a whole-of-government approach to our peacekeeping deployments.

"Where there's a need to help stabilise troubled countries, setting up effective police forces is seen as a priority.

"We've been doing this in the Solomons, responding to this request for Afghanistan support, but we are anticipating this won't be the last request for this kind."

Helen Clark said another new deployment was a Defence Force liaison officer working for a year with the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan.

She also said the Government was "not averse" to sending the SAS back to Afghanistan.

Last month, the Government confirmed that the United States had given the SAS a unit citation and personal commendation for its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Kelly, for its role in Afghanistan.

Kiwi commitment

* Provincial reconstruction team of 120 personnel in Bamyan province.

Others in Afghanistan

* Two NCOs to help train Afghan National Army.

* Four Defence staff with International Security Assistance Force, which supports the Afghan Transitional Authority to maintain security.

* Two Defence staff in the multinational force headquarters in Kabul.

* One Defence officer with the UN Assistance Mission.

* Two police officers to help train Afghan police.