Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said Monday's Cabinet is likely to discuss the US air strike on Syria two days ago but he's had no contact with counterparts over the weekend. "It would be fair to say we are keeping a close watch on it - the whole world is keeping a close watch on it. New Zealand was notified in advance of the strike as a matter of courtesy because it was part of the US-led Coalition against Isis in Iraq. We are already, per head of population, well and truly doing our bit in Iraq at the moment." For several weeks the US has been involved in marshalling forces around the Syrian city of Raqqa, an Isis stronghold, in preparation for an expected assault.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 09, 2017 08:03 UTC