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[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Five more years in Afghanistan

By COLIN ESPINER - The Press | 5:00AM - Tuesday, 11 August 2009



Kiwi troops are likely to remain in Afghanistan for another five years, with the Government agreeing to United States pleas for more help from the Special Air Service.

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that 70 SAS personnel would head to Afghanistan in three rotations, lasting 18 months.

They will join the 130 New Zealand troops serving in peacekeeping and provincial reconstruction in the war-torn country.

The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) will be "re-aligned" to help build the capacity of the Afghan police and transfer the lead security role to Afghan forces.

Key also announced a beefed-up civilian effort in Bamiyan province, with a focus on agriculture, health and education.

While the SAS would be pulled out after 18 months, army personnel would remain in Afghanistan for up to five years, he said.

"I was hoping for an exit strategy a little faster than that, but the advice given to me by those that undertook the review is that that is the time frame that was realistic," Key said.

"We've had our people there since 2003. I'd hate to undermine all the good work they have done, so an orderly exit is the right way to go."

The deployment of the SAS marks the fourth time the elite squad has been dispatched to Afghanistan, although it is the first time this National Government has sent troops.

Key said he did not think the latest SAS mission was more dangerous than the previous three, despite the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

"It is a difficult decision. There's no getting away from the fact that Afghanistan is a dangerous place, and we're deploying our elite military there to try to stabilise the position," he said.

"But I'm confident we have some of the best people in the world and we're now asking them to complete a very difficult task."

Key declined to comment on exactly what the SAS would do in Afghanistan, or when the troops would fly out.

He said they would work with other nations' elite troops, but under New Zealand command.

The Green Party has raised concerns in Parliament about the controversial handing over in 2002 of Afghan prisoners by New Zealand troops to US forces, which allegedly mistreated them.

Key said the Government had sought an assurance that anyone captured by the SAS and transferred to the Afghan Army would be treated humanely and in accordance with international conventions.

While the Cabinet officially made the decision to deploy the SAS yesterday, Key said he had told a senior official of the Obama Administration a week ago that the Government was likely to agree to it.

Labour leader Phil Goff said that despite Labour deploying the SAS three times while in government, he did not believe the fourth rotation was justified.

"We decided at the end of the third rotation our emphasis should be on the PRT," Goff said.

"Our preference is still in favour of the PRT and we're not in favour of sending the SAS back under current circumstances."

Key said he was disappointed by Goff's remarks.

"These are New Zealanders who are putting their lives on the line to make the world a safer place. It's never too late and I'd encourage Mr Goff and the Labour Party to support our actions."

Governor welcomes SAS troops

Sending New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) troops back to Afghanistan has been welcomed by the governor of the province where regular Kiwi troops are stationed.

Bamiyan governor Habibi Serabi told The Press from Kabul that she valued the role New Zealand soldiers had played in her province and supported the redeployment of the elite SAS unit elsewhere.

"We have had a good experience with the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team)," she said. "It is good if New Zealand sends special forces to problem areas."

At the Kiwi headquarters in Bamiyan, PRT chief of staff Nick Gillard rejected fears that New Zealand troops may become more of a target as a result of Prime Minister John Key's announcement of the 18-month SAS redeployment. "There has always been a security threat in Bamiyan, irrespective of the role New Zealand plays in the wider Afghanistan," he said.

Gillard described plans for a phased change to the PRT as "positive".

The mission was "an evolving beast". Initially, security was the focus, but as it improved, there should be a transition to development and governance, he said.

Soldiers will still handle security, but the civilian component will increase to help consolidate democratic government, adherence to the rule of law and reconstruction. A diplomat and an NZAID worker will be put permanently in the Kiwi compound.

Their addition coincides with a greater United States presence in Bamiyan. Almost 50 US military policemen have joined PRT ranks.

This follows a massive injection of reconstruction money from Washington.

This year, the PRT is managing US$40 million (NZ$59.3m) in funds.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/politics/2738287/Five-more-years-in-Afghanistan