* Aussie shares close up 0.2 pct, CBA caps gains
* NZ shares cut some losses, end down 0.1 pct (Updates to close)
April 16 (Reuters) - Australian shares pared earlier gains to finish 0.2 percent higher on Monday, with strength in miners countered by a fall in Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO rose 12.2 points to 5,841.3 at the close of trade after rising as much as 0.7 percent earlier on relief that the fallout from U.S.-led strikes on Syria over the weekend appeared limited. MKTS/GLOB
The benchmark rose 0.2 percent on Friday.
The United States, France and Britain launched missiles targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities in Syria in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack in Douma earlier in April.
Top miner BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) BHP.AX was the biggest boost on the index, rising 0.8 percent to its best close since March 1.
South32 Ltd S32.AX rose 3.2 percent, while Alumina Ltd AWC.AX closed up 2.7 percent at its highest in seven years.
Shanghai aluminium prices hit a two-month high after Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX said it would declare force majeure on certain customer contracts in light of U.S. sanctions on its partner, Russian aluminium giant Rusal.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX capped the gains on the index, reversing from a 0.5 percent rise earlier to fall 0.7 percent.
Australia's four biggest retail banks and wealth manager AMP AMP.AX have paid hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to customers for poor advice over the past decade, a major inquiry into the financial sector heard on Monday. New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.1 percent or 8.42 points to finish the session at 8,406.35.
Healthcare stocks accounted for most of the index's losses, with Ryman Healthcare RYM.NZ falling 2.6 percent and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation FPH.NZ down 0.7 percent.
Dairy firm a2 Milk Company ATM.NZ helped cut some losses on the index, firming 2.2 percent after announcing plans to expand into South Korea. country's biggest telecommunications and internet provider Spark New Zealand SPK.NZ closed up 1.5 percent after securing rights to stream the Rugby World Cup 2019.