275 soldiers from Tonga, the archipelago in the Pacific ocean, are to travel to Afghanistan sometime this autumn, for a two-year deployment as guards at Camp Bastion, a British military base, it was revealed at the end of July.
The British government will be paying £2.6m to cover Tongan costs for the first year, including uniforms, ammunition, accommodation, travel expenses and a stipend of £30 a day for each soldier in Afghanistan, said Tongan brigadier Tauaika ’Uta’atu, commander of the Tongan defence service. The marines, who are going out in batches of 55, for four six-month rotations, will receive six weeks training in Britain before deployment.
Topics: Afghanistan