Tonga has sent off its first troops to be deployed in Afghanistan, where they will serve alongside the British military.
The 55 soldiers departed on Monday for pre-deployment training in Britain before beginning their six-month assignment in Helmand province.
They are the first of 275 soldiers that Tonga has committed over a two-year period following a request from Britain.
Tongan soldiers served in Iraq from 2004 to 2006, and again from 2007 to December 2008.
