New Zealand accelerates withdrawal from Afghanistan

New Zealand on Monday said it will accelerate its timeline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan but denied that the decision had anything to do with recent casualties.

John Key, New Zealand’s prime minister, said his country would be withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan earlier than planned. Rather than leaving by October 2013, New Zealand’s troops could be headed home as early as April, he said.

Key said the decision was not made in response to combat deaths, and stressed that New Zealand would reach an agreement on the timing of the withdrawal with the U.S.-led coalition.

“We need to make it the shortest timeframe we can now logistically, but we have to do it with our partners,” Key said, adding that ending New Zealand’s role immediately would send the wrong message.

“If we do that,” Key said, “then the thousands of people who have lost their lives have been in vain. And I just don't think that reflects the values and principles that underpin New Zealand.”

Ten soldiers from New Zealand have died during the Afghanistan conflict, including five this month alone. A roadside bomb killed three New Zealand troops on Sunday. 

There are 145 troops from New Zealand stationed in the relatively stable Bamyan province, where they have been based for the past nine years. 

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