Afghan tour could stretch on

Kiwi soldiers feel there's still work to do in Afghanistan. Photo / Supplied

The Defence Force's 140-strong reconstruction team in Afghanistan may be there a lot longer than first thought, Prime Minister John Key has indicated.

One of the first decisions for the Government this year will be to look at the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) as well as a proposed extension for some of the SAS's deployment to Kabul, due to end in April.

The Cabinet is expected to roll over the mandate for the PRT, which ends in September, but will also take a much closer look at the long-term commitments.

The PRT has been in Bamiyan province since August 2003.

In a 2009 review of New Zealand's effort in Afghanistan it was decided the PRT would be gradually drawn down over the medium term - thought to be five years - and troops would be replaced with civilian development experts in the fields of agriculture, health and education.

But Mr Key has told the Herald the Government will look again at the plans for the PRT.

"There was a reasonably aggressive view at one point that those numbers could be reduced quite quickly and I'm not as convinced as some might be that that is the case."

He believed the transition period to self-governance would take longer than predicted and that was another issue to be faced in the new year.

"You wouldn't want to get to the point where a decade of work is destroyed by leaving just too quickly. And if there is going to be a transition, you've got to make sure that you support those that are left behind in a way that is safe."

The SAS asked Mr Key while he was in Kabul last April if their deployment could be extended.

They are working alongside Afghanistan's crisis response unit (CRU).

Mr Key said one of the primary considerations would be whether an extension of the deployment would adversely affect New Zealand's response to any security threat at the Rugby World Cup.

He had yet to receive advice on that.

A second issue would be whether leaving behind a smaller group of SAS in Kabul than the current 70 would compromise their safety.

Third, he would want to be convinced that keeping a group of SAS there for longer achieved something beyond the current mission.

"In other words, the proposition put up by the SAS to me is if I will let them stay a bit longer, they can complete the training job for the CRU.

"Now that's a pretty good reason but I just need to be absolutely sure that it is going to achieve what they say."

SAS soldiers were involved in a gunbattle on Christmas Eve in which two Afghan security guards were killed. The Defence Force maintains the SAS troops were returning fire.