New Zealand troops will return a year earlier than planned from Afghanistan.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced at the Nato summit in Chicago that the Provincial Reconstruction Team would come home in 2013 as efforts in Bamyan province were wound up this year.
Mr McCully said the earlier withdrawal reflected the outstanding work New Zealand personnel had done to prepare the province for transition to local control.
At a recent foreign ministers meeting in Brussels Mr McCully met officials and senior Afghan ministers and other partners to review the timetable in light of an earlier than expected completion of the transition process.
"While I was attending that meeting, Dr Coleman was in Afghanistan ensuring that we had a full understanding of the completion of the transition process, inlcuding holding discussions with Governor Sarabi,'' he said.
"It is not likely the Afghan government and ISF will formally declare that transition to be completed later in 2012.''
He said New Zealand troops wanted to ensure the Bamyan province was well-prepared for the next steps and that major development projects were completed, including New Zealand-funded agricultural projects and new solar energy plants.
Despite pulling New Zealand troops from the region the Government would continue to contribute to the effort in Afghanistan.
A small number of training officers would be made available to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy from 2013.
It would commit to providing funds to the National Security Force.
- Kate Shuttleworth of APNZ
