NZ forces to stay longer in Afghanistan

New Zealand's military presence in Afghanistan is to be extended until September 2007, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today.

The latest deployment of a 120 strong Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamyan and other military postings were due to expire this September.

But Helen Clark said it was in everyone's interests that Afghanistan had a stable government and the PRT provided a valuable contribution to this objective.

"I think the whole world community has an interest in Afghanistan not deteriorating as it did prior to September 11 as a haven for terrorist activities," she said.

New Zealand has taken part in military operations in Afghanistan since December 2001 and the reconstruction team has been deployed since September 2003.

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.

Today's decisions today would involve further defence spending of $27.08 million for the PRT 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 has 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.

Around 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 led command, but this will transfer to NATO in the near future. 

The Prime Minister said she expected New Zealand troops to get similar levels of back-up as it did now,

Afghanistan was invaded by an international coalition of troops after the September 11 attacks were linked to Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan.

- NZPA