Key said ISISalso known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) posed a threat to stability in regions beyond the Middle East and New Zealand had “an obligation” to help support the rule of law internationally.
“New Zealanders are prolific travelers and we are not immune from the threat ISIL poses,” he said in a statement. “ISIL’s brutality has only worsened and its outrageous actions have united an international coalition of around 62 countries to fight and degrade the group.”
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The deployment came at the request of the Iraqi government and was likely to be a joint training mission with neighboring Australia, Key said. New Zealand’s cabinet would review the deployment after nine months, he added.
