Prime Minister John Key has confirmed that New Zealand's SAS deployment to Afghanistan will end as scheduled in March next year.
The decision has been foreshadowed for some time.
In his statement released this morning, Mr Key says the SAS has achieved the job they were sent to do with Kabul’s Crisis Response Unit.
In late September, Lance Corporal Leon Smith, 33, was shot in the head during an operation in Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, at a compound suspected of housing Taliban bomb-makers preparing for an attack in the capital.
A month prior to his own death, Lance Corporal Smith, a medic, was also the first person to come to the aid of Corporal Doug Grant when he was fatally injured.
“Tragically, they have also paid the highest price, with two of the SAS’s fine soldiers losing their lives in the course of this work and I would, once again, like to pay tribute to Corporal Doug Grant and Lance Corporal Leon Smith who were killed in action,” says Mr Key.
The two deaths reignited calls for the government to pull SAS troops out of Afghanistan.
However, Mr Key has maintained his stance on the SAS’ presence in the war-torn Middle East country.
“I deeply regret the loss of our soldiers but I do not regret our commitment to operations in Afghanistan.
"It's been a 10-year commitment by New Zealand in Afghanistan ... the role and the aim of New Zealand's role is trying to make the world a safer place ... I think we should stay the course," he said.
Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said he and Mr Key are aware of the risks when deployment decisions are made.
“You made a difference. It’s time to come home,” says Mr Key.
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