The commander of the first of four contingents of Tongan soldiers being deployed to Afghanistan later this year, is confident they are going to a relatively safe part of the country.
Four rotations of 55 marines over the next two years will provide protection for the main British base, Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province.
The Tonga Defence Service's Joint Operations Commander, Colonel Siamelie Latu, says he conducted an assessment of several possible sites.
He chose Camp Bastion over Lashkar Gah - the main town in Helmand Province because it was safer.
"Lashkar is quite risky. it's rural areas and mostly residences of the Afghan people, but in this area [Bastion] it is just the desert with no residences around so we assess that it is pretty safe for the Tongan contingent to operate."
Tonga Defence Service's Joint Operations Commander, Colonel Siamelie Latu.
