New Zealand to cut troops to 11 in Afghanistan: PM

Last year, New Zealand extended the armed force deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq until June.
Addressing a news conference, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said that her country will cut to 11 personnel, from 13, its deployment to Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, but troops would remain until December 2020, to support the training of Afghan army officers.
On Iraq, Ardern said that New Zealand will withdraw its troops from Iraq by June next year. It has up to 95 soldiers in Iraq, who deployed there in 2015, in a training mission to support the multinational US-led operation against Islamic State militants.
"Over the next 12 months, New Zealand will be able to wind down and conclude that commitment," Ardern said