NZ base not hit in Iraq attack, no withdrawal announcement

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand's base in Iraq has not been hit in a barrage of Iranian missiles fired at bases housing United States troops.

But while he says the security situation is being closely watched, Peters has stopped short of announcing whether New Zealand's troops will be brought home early.

The US Government has confirmed more than a dozen surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at two Iraqi military bases, with Iranian state television describing it as a revenge attack over the killing of top military commander Qassem Soleimani in an air strike by the US last week.

Details of damage or injuries were not immediately available, although officials said there had been "very few if any casualties".

While the New Zealand Defence Force earlier investigated reports Camp Taji – where 45 New Zealand personnel are based – had been hit, Peters on Wednesday afternoon confirmed the site had not been targeted.

"The Government has been informed that all New Zealand personnel are as safe as they can be in these developing circumstances," he said.

"The Government is working actively with our partners through military and diplomatic channels, and we continue to keep the security situation under close review, including implications for our personnel."

Peters repeated an earlier call for calm, diplomacy and a de-escalation.

"The Government is working actively with our partners through military and diplomatic channels, and we continue to keep the security situation under close review, including implications for our personnel."

National's Defence spokesman Mark Mitchell and Foreign Affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee said New Zealand should join Britain and Australia by keeping troops on the ground while being ready to move them out fast if needed.

"We do not want to cut and run unduly, leaving others to shoulder our responsibilities," Mitchell said.

"It's important that we are not distracted from our continued efforts to stabilise Iraq."

"We would expect the Iraqi government to take all steps necessary to control the security situation and ensure all coalition bases are protected from attack.

"There needs to be strong contingency plans in place to get our people out of the country if the Iraqi government loses control of the situation."

Brownlee said the Opposition shared the Government's concern on the attacks and that now was the time for "cool heads" and "dialogue".

New Zealanders have been training Iraqi troops out of Taji, near Baghdad, since 2015. Five more New Zealanders are based in the city.

The Government last year announced the mission would be ending by June, 2020.

But concerns have been raised about the safety of New Zealand troops and that they could get caught up in Iranian strikes amid rising tension and rhetoric following Soleimani's killing.

Peters' comments echoed those of Defence Minister Ron Mark, who earlier in the day said while there were serious concerns about the situation, there was no plan for an immediate withdrawal.

Concerns have been raised about the safety of New Zealand troops who have been training Iraqi forces at Camp Taji since 2015. Photo / Supplied.

Asked whether the June deadline could be brought forward, Mark said New Zealand would be assessing the situation and talking to other Coalition forces countries in Iraq.

"This is a case of coolly, calmly assessing the situation," he said.

That followed a Government announcement on Monday that New Zealand's training mission would be put on pause while personnel focused on defending their base.

Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said while he believed the prospect of all-out war between Iran and the United States was still unlikely, the latest round of strikes would fundamentally change the situation for New Zealand.

Mapp said while New Zealand was unlikely to pull out immediately, the end date was now very likely to move.

"I would actually use the word inevitable. I think it's inevitable that we will pull out. The only question is when," he said.

New Zealand would act in concert with the rest of the Coalition if members decided to pull out, Mapp said.

"There will be a lot of dialogue going on now."

Security analyst Paul Buchanan said it appeared with Coalition was already beginning to fray at the edges with Germany's partial withdrawal from Iraq, and the risks of pulling out were low.

"It's not as if [New Zealand is] cutting and running. A bigger country, a middle power has already said 'this is not worth it,' Buchanan said.

"If they've suspended the training what's the point of being there? … Quite frankly, I don't think it's going to impact our relationship with the United States one iota whether they stay or pull out. They just become targets."

He said, depending on the US response in the next 24 hours, the situation could escalate and see Taji become a target for ground attacks by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.

The Iranian missile attacks came after six people from a medical convoy in the Iraqi militia the Popular Mobilisation Forces were killed in an airstrike near Camp Taji on Saturday.

Iraq's Prime Minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, over the weekend described the US killing of Soleimani and eight others as a "political assassination" and called for a timetable to be set for the withdrawal of foreign forces.

Iraq's parliament has passed a resolution calling for foreign troops to be expelled, but its Government would have to pass separate, binding legislation to end the agreement that allows foreign forces into the country.

Mark on Wednesday said the motion did not reflect an official decision or request by Iraq's Government.

New Zealand authorities have also "strongly advised" 15 other New Zealanders believed to currently be in Iraq to leave immediately.