WELLINGTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is to extend its military presence in Afghanistan for another two years and increase the number of personnel there, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said Tuesday.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) commitment of trainers to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy had been extended to June 2018, Brownlee said.
"Since late 2013, the NZDF has contributed eight personnel to the academy to assist in building the capacity of the Afghan National Army," he said.
"In addition to the extension, Cabinet has agreed to a request for the number of personnel deployed to be increased to 10."
The NZDF personnel were doing a good job helping develop junior leaders of the Afghan National Army.
"To date, 1,651 troops have graduated from the academy since October 2013," Brownlee said.
The academy, led by Britain and situated just outside Kabul, formed part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions.
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