Key’s broken promise leaves NZ troops at risk
Tania Mead to John Key’s broken
promise on two year Iraq deployment leaves NZ troops at
risk The Government has broken its promise to keep
New Zealand’s Iraq deployment to two years, putting our
troops in further danger, the Green Party said today. This afternoon the Government announced that it would be
extending the mandate and the length of the current NZDF
deployment to Iraq until November 2018. “A hundred
thousand people are fleeing Fallujah and humanitarian
agencies are overwhelmed. New Zealand should be contributing
the $50 million that has now been committed to this
deployment to humanitarian efforts in the region,” said
Green Party co-leader James Shaw. “John Key went
to Camp Taji and made a promise that New Zealand troops
would not serve longer than two years, but mission creep has
set in a mere seven months later. “We condemn the horrific violence of ISIL.
New Zealand should be using its leverage as a member of the
UN Security Council to curb ISIL’s access to funding and
arms, not keeping our troops in danger for another year and
a half,” said Mr Shaw. ends
6:12 PM (14
hours ago)
20 June 2016
“The NZDF deployment
to Iraq does not make us safer, but puts New Zealand troops
at risk and makes New Zealanders unnecessary targets of
ISIL.