Mr Key

A training mission like this is not without danger and this is not a decision New Zealand have taken lightly, i have required assurances that our men and women will be as safe as they can practicably be in Taji. The deployment came at the request of the Iraqi government and was likely to be a joint training mission with neighboring Australia, Mr Key said. New Zealand's cabinet would review the deployment after nine months, New Zealand added. The United States is leading the coalition to fight ISIS from the sky over Iraq and Syria. The militant group has declared an Islamic caliphate in the area and demanded that all Muslims pledge allegiance to its leader -- Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Richard Jackson from the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at New Zealand's University of Otago said New Zealand's commitment to the coalition would likely be dangerous for its citizens in the Middle East region.