NZ to remain in Afghanistan for at least a year

Afghan security forces are set to take charge of the province where New Zealand forces have been stationed since 2003, but New Zealand's military presence in Bamiyan will remain at current levels for at least a year.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced overnight that seven provinces including Bamiyan were ready to begin the transition to Afghan leadership, as a first step towards full Afghan control of the entire nation by the end of 2014.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today said the current ceiling of 140 New Zealand defence force personnel in the provincial reconstruction team in Bamiyan would remain constant for at least the next year.

"The start of the transition process will not signal an immediate drawdown in military capacity," he said.

Mr Karzai's announcement was a major milestone and a tribute to the "outstanding work" of the hundreds of New Zealand military, police, and civilian personnel who had served in Bamiyan, Mr McCully said.

"The fact that Bamiyan is one of only two full provinces listed for transition reflects the significant progress we have made over the past eight years in Bamiyan."

Mr McCully said New Zealand's transition efforts would be watched carefully by the international community and the transition was not just about security, as Mr Karzai noted in his speech.

"New Zealand is targeting our development assistance to build Bamiyan's energy and agriculture sectors, two crucial areas for the province's economic development," Mr McCully said.

"We have an opportunity in this province, as we begin the formal handover process in the months ahead, to demonstrate to the Afghan people and to the global community that transition can work. New Zealand is committed to playing its part."

Six New Zealand-born soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the war began.

- NZPA