Kiwis exit Iraq’s Camp Taji

Kiwi soldiers have now entirely withdrawn from Iraq’s Camp Taji, ending a five-year contribution to the fight against ISIS.

The last of 45 soldiers posted to the camp, which has been the target of rocket attacks in recent weeks, are returning home this week, Defence Minister Ron Mark said yesterday.

The withdrawal has come months earlier than anticipated.

The Defence Force said this was for logistical reasons, and not due to the security situation or the coronavirus crisis.

A cohort of 28 soldiers are already in isolation at the air force’s Whenuapai base, adhering to the strict border requirements for returning New Zealanders. The rest had left Camp Taji and would arrive home later this week, Mark said.

New Zealand soldiers were tasked with training the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) at Camp Taji in 2015. ‘‘Over 47,000 ISF personnel have been trained at Taji since the inception of the mission,’’ Mark said.

New Zealand joint forces commander Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour said planning for an earlier departure began before Christmas but was not notified for security reasons. A full withdrawal was previously earmarked for June.

‘‘Obviously given the current Covid-19 situation the welcome home has not been what we would have wanted,’’ he said.

New Zealand was initially reluctant to supply troops to the conflict in Iraq, which began when a United States-led coalition invaded in 2003. Then prime minister Helen Clark refused to send combat troops but did agree to send 61 troops including 35 engineers to help with Iraq’s reconstruction in September 2003.

US cables released by WikiLeaks in 2010 showed Clark possibly changed her mind due to fears Fonterra would lose out on United Nations ‘‘Oil for Food’’ supply contracts.

As the insurgent Islamic State (Isis) ravaged Iraq years later, then prime minister John Key committed to a deployment of 143 Kiwi troops to Camp Taji.

Though Isis has been mostly defeated, Iraq has again been beset by violence in the past year. Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in the past six months, and Iraqi soldiers have shot dead hundreds in an attempt to suppress the strife.

Two US troops and a British soldier were killed in a rocket attack three weeks ago, one of many attacks on the base in recent months.

Four Defence Force staffers remain based at headquarters for coalition forces in Iraq and Kuwait, along with five staff in Qatar.