New Zealand troops to leave Afghanistan after 20-year deployment

Six remaining personnel leaving in May ending what PM Ardern describes as nation’s ‘longest-running’ deployment.

New Zealand has announced that it will withdraw its last remaining troops from Afghanistan by May, concluding a 20-year deployment that was the country’s longest-running one. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that Afghanistan’s internal peace process represented the best prospect for an enduring political solution in the troubled country, meaning the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) was no longer required. “After 20 years of a NZDF presence in Afghanistan, it is now time to conclude our deployment,” she said in a statement.