20 Jun 2016

Suicide bombing hits Camp Taji

11:08 pm on 20 June 2016

Four Iraqi soldiers have been killed in a suicide bombing outside the camp where New Zealand soldiers are deployed in Iraq.

More than a dozen people were are believed to have been injured in the attack, but Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said no New Zealanders were harmed.

The bomb attack occurred at the entrance of the Taji military camp, north of Baghdad.

Mr Brownlee said the attack showed Islamic State (IS) extremists were feeling the pressure in other parts of the country where they have been losing territory.

He was confident New Zealand troops, who were not allowed to leave the camp, were as safe as they could be in the high risk environment.

The attack comes as the government announced it was extending the Defence Force's deployment in Taji for 18 months, until November 2018.