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Columbus Mabika Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe has pledged 304 soldiers to the SADC Standby Force Mission in Mozambique to train an infantry battalion size unit at a time, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has said.
Briefing journalists at Defence Headquarters in Harare on Thursday morning, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the contingent will consist of 303 instructors and one specialist officer to the coordinating mechanism of the SADC Force Headquarters in Maputo.
“While other countries have to deploy combat troops, Zimbabwe pledged to assist in the training of Mozambique armed forces to enhance their capability to combat terrorism,” she said.
She said the contingent will be sent to Mozambique once the Status of Force Agreement has been signed.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said in terms of Section 214 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Parliament will be informed accordingly.
During the 16-member regional bloc Extraordinary Summit that was held in Maputo, Mozambique last month, SADC member states resolved to deploy a force to help Mozambique contain insurgency in its northern provinces where terrorists have left a trail of destruction that also threatens regional peace.
Online Reporter