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Story highlights Prime Minister John Key confirms New Zealand troops to be deployed to Iraq 143 troops will be part of a non-combat training mission to help Iraq fight ISIS NZ has "an obligation to support stability and the rule of law," Key tells lawmakers

In a two-year mission likely to start in May, New Zealand personnel will train Iraq security forces at the Taji Military Complex north of Baghdad, Key said. He said soldiers would provide protection for the training force.

Key said ISIS -- also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) -- posed a threat to stability in regions beyond the Middle East and New Zealand had "an obligation" to help support the rule of law internationally.

"New Zealand is a country that stands up for its values. We stand up for what is right," he told parliament. "We do not shy away from taking our share of the burden when the international rules based system is threatened as it is today."

Key said attacks in Ottawa, Sydney and Paris had underscored the risk of complacency. "To those who argue that we should not take action because it raises the threat, I say this 'the risk associated with ISIL becoming stronger and more widespread far outweighs this.'"

In a statement, Key referred to New Zealanders as "prolific travelers" who were not immune from the risk posed by ISIS. "ISIL's brutality has only worsened and its outrageous actions have united an international coalition of around 62 countries to fight and degrade the group," he said.

Who's doing what in the coalition battle against ISIS?

Opposition leaders were quick to condemn the decision, which they said should have been debated and voted on in parliament.

Labour leader Andrew Little said his party was opposed to sending troops to Iraq and that it was unlikely they would remain behind the front line.

"The Prime Minister says they will be behind the wire but we know they will not be. They cannot stick there, they cannot stay there, that is not all they will do. They will not just be behind the wire; they will be exposed to the much wider conflict; it will not be just the soldiers we send to the Iraq, it will be Kiwis traveling around the world," Little said.

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NZ to send troops to Iraq