New Zealand opposition condemns troop deployment to Iraq

New Zealand's opposition parties Tuesday condemned the government decision to deploy troops to Iraq to help in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group and said it lacked a mandate in this regard.

Legislators were scathing of Prime Minister John Key's decision to deny them a vote on the move, which would have highlighted the divisions as two of the government's three minor-party coalition partners came out against the deployment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, Key had confirmed that up to 143 New Zealand troops would be deployed in a two-year "military training mission" to Iraq from May as part of the international anti-IS coalition.

Key said New Zealand's military personnel would fulfill a non-combat, "behind-the-wire" mission to train Iraqi security forces so that they were better prepared to fight the IS.

However, the denial of a parliamentary vote was in contrast to New Zealand's last major military deployment when troops were sent to Afghanistan in 2001.

Opposition parties said Key's government was undermining the country's independent foreign policy by joining the 62-nation US-led coalition against IS, and exposing ordinary New Zealanders to the threat of a terrorist backlash.

Political leaders implied that Key had yielded to pressure from New Zealand's "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing allies -- comprising the US, Britain, Canada and Australia.