New Zealand troops begin new training program for Afghan military

New Zealand troops have taken the year-long training program of a new batch of about 300 officer cadets in Afghanistan, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said Wednesday.

The officer cadets, including 30 women, had recently started training at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Kabul, Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said in a statement.

"Our training support for the Afghan National Army contributes to Afghanistan's efforts to build a capable and professional force. It also demonstrates our commitment to a stable future for Afghanistan," said Gall.

"Since the ANAOA was founded four years ago, New Zealand has joined the United Kingdom and other defence partners in helping develop Afghanistan's future military leaders."

Lieutenant Colonel Julian Sewell, the NZDF Senior National Officer in Afghanistan, said NZDF members had helped mentor about 2,000 officer cadets, including 55 women, in the past three years.

Last month, 342 officer cadets completed the rigorous training program, Sewell said in the statement.

"About 70 percent of the latest ANAOA graduates will undergo infantry training before they deploy to frontline units," Sewell said.

The NZDF had five mentors at the ANAOA and three support personnel at the Qargha Force Protection Company.

The ANAOA program trained the cadets on counter-insurgency tactics, English language, war studies, signals, and leadership and communication skills.

The ANAOA, at Qargha just outside Kabul, forms part of the NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces and institutions.

In June, the New Zealand government extended its military presence in Afghanistan for two years to June 2018 and approved the deployment of two additional mentors, raising the total NZDF contingent to 10.

The mission was originally scheduled to run to the end of 2014, but in April last year the government extended it to the end of this year.

Although women had served in the academy in the past, officer training was made available to them only recently, as part of the Afghan government's plan to increase the number of female soldiers and officers to 10 percent of the total force.

In April 2013, New Zealand troops left Afghanistan's Bamyan Province, where they maintained a camp and ran the provincial reconstruction team for 10 years. Endit