The United States Secretary of Defence is welcoming the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force's deployment in Iraq.
The government announced yesterday troops would remain in Iraq for an extra 18 months, until November 2018.
New Zealand troops would also be allowed to travel to a second military base, and train Iraqi Federal Police as well as soldiers.
Secretary of Defence Ash Carter said in a statement he was grateful to New Zealand for its "staunch support" in the fight against Islamic State.
He said the deployment extension demonstrated New Zealand's commitment, and the training of Iraqi troops played an important role in the fight against the Islamic extremist group.
