WELLINGTON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Defense Minister Mark Mitchell on Friday visited New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel training the Iraqi Security Forces at Camp Taji near Baghdad.
Mitchell, on his first visit to Taji as minister, said in a release that he was "incredibly proud of the work our servicemen and women are doing, and the contribution they are making towards the defeat of ISIS."
New Zealand has 106 trainers, force protection elements and other Regular Force soldiers at Taji.
Since this deployment began in 2015, NZDF have trained over 23,000 Iraqi soldiers, arming them with new skills and capabilities that have assisted them to complete complex joint force tasks, he said, praising the training as "outstanding."
"It is making a difference as the military fight against ISIS progresses towards its final stages, and it is greatly appreciated not only by the Iraqi government but our other coalition partners," the minister said.
