NZ extends Afghanistan military and training efforts

New Zealand will keep its 120-strong military reconstruction team in Afghanistan until at least September next year.

Defence Minister Phil Goff said the decision to extend operations would also apply to the missions of two Defence Force personnel helping train the Afghan National Army, three personnel with the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters, one with the Command Afghanistan in Kabul and one with the Coalition Joint Taskforce in Bagram.

New Zealand had spent $130 million on peacekeeping and development in Afghanistan.

Yesterday's decisions would involve further defence spending of $27 million for the reconstruction team and $3.91 million to cover Afghan Army training and other associated deployment costs.

Any costs incurred by the defence forces caused by the deployment would have to be found from within the existing budget, a Government spokesman said.

NZAID has spent $20 million to June 2006 on aid projects and had committed to a further $15 million over the next three years.

Mr Goff said New Zealand had been the third country to establish a reconstruction team and hundreds of defence personnel had served there.

"Much progress has been made. After 20 years of civil war the first elections of a President and a Parliament have been successfully conducted and a new constitution adopted," Mr Goff said.

About 35,000 Army personnel and 55,000 police had been trained to a basic level and 60,000 combatants had been disarmed, he said.

"Much also remains to be done before Afghanistan could be considered able to maintain its own future security," Mr Goff said.

"Violence from Taleban and al Qaeda insurgents increased in 2005 and warlordism and a growing trade in opium continues to destabilise Afghanistan and present major problems."

Current forces are serving under American command, but this will transfer to Nato soon.

- NZPA