New Zealand on Tuesday said the country has extended its intelligence mission to the Operation Gallant Phoenix multinational intelligence in Jordan until 2025. In a joint statement, Minister of Defense Andrew Little and Minister of Police Ginny Andersen said the Cabinet has approved the mandate extension for two years as the number of deployed New Zealand personnel remains less than 10. ‘As we tragically saw in Christchurch and West Auckland, New Zealand is not immune to threats from violent extremism,’ Little said. “New Zealand is made safer by working with countries around the world to understand and respond to current, evolving, and future terrorist and violent extremist threats,” he added. Established in 2013, Operation Gallant Phoenix is a platform where partners collect and share information about potential and existing terrorist threats, irrespective of threat ideology. The mission is made up of a large number of countries and agencies, including law enforcement, military and civilian personnel, according to the statement. ‘It [deployment in Jordan] helps us to build and strengthen relationships with international partners, and gain experience for our Police officers and other personnel in ways that cannot be achieved elsewhere. ‘The public can feel reassured that this government is prioritizing their safety with the renewal of this commitment over the coming two years,’ said Andersen.
Source: Anadolu Agency