Kiwi troops bound for Middle East

Kiwi troops and a C-130 Hercules aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East for two months at the request of the Australian Defence Force.

After a trip last week to Camp Taji in Iraq with New Zealand Defence Force chief Tim Keating, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee revealed yesterday that Cabinet had approved a short-term deployment involving up to 30 personnel.

The Hercules was being deployed at the request of our Australian counterparts to ‘‘provide additional capacity during a period of high operational tempo’’.

‘‘I am pleased the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) can provide this assistance, considering the significant support we receive from the Australian Defence Force in Iraq and New Zealand’s other deployments in the region,’’ Brownlee said.

‘‘The aircraft will carry out logistics flights in support of New Zealand and Australian operations, including carrying people, equipment and supplies to Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan and the Sinai Peninsula.’’

This is the fourth time a Hercules has been deployed to the region. The estimated cost of this mission was about $1.3 million and it would not require additional funding, he said.

In June last year, the Government extended the NZDF deployment to Iraq by another 18 months until November 2018.