No New Zealand troops for ISIL fight

New Zealand will strengthen monitoring of its citizens to prevent them from joining Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighting in Iraq and Syria, but has ruled out any front-line military involvement in the conflict, Prime Minister John Key said on Wednesday.

Key made the comments during a speech on national security in which he addressed the Pacific Island nation's response to the threat posed by ISIL.

Key said the country had to acknowledge that the risks it faced from the rise of ISIL have increased, with New Zealand citizens involved directly in the fighting, raising funds, or promoting the militants.

Key said the government would extend powers to suspend or cancel passports, while the security service would be given added funding and powers of surveillance of suspected ISIL supporters.

He said between 30 and 40 New Zealanders people were "of concern in a foreign fighter context."

New Zealand would increase its humanitarian aid to those displaced by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. However, he said the country would not be involved in fighting in the region.

Military planners would be sent to the Middle East to gather information and assess training options.

The United States resumed airstrikes in Iraq in August for the first time since the withdrawal of the final U.S. troops from the country in 2011. 

The raids followed major gains by ISIL, which has declared an Islamic caliphate in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq.

President Barack Obama called for a coalition of Western and Middle Eastern countries to fight Islamic State.

In the past, New Zealand has responded to such international calls. It was part of the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan, sending special forces and a reconstruction team, but refused to be directly involved in combat in the U.S.-led war in Iraq, instead sending engineers to help with reconstruction.

Defense Minister Gerry Brownlee told reporters Wednesday that three military planners had left for the Middle East and up to seven more would join them to determine whether New Zealand had a role to play in helping Iraqi forces battle extremists.

He said any role would be dependent on an invitation from the Iraqi government. He said New Zealand was also talking to neighboring Australia about how it could help them.

Australia has deployed six jet fighters which are flying combat missions against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq. And it has said it will soon deploy 200 special forces troops into Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi security forces.

Wire services