New Zealand defense force joins Solomon Islands explosives disposal

Wellington: New Zealand Defense Force has been contributing to a multinational team in the Solomon Islands to safely dispose of explosive remnants from the World War II, a force statement said on Monday. Up to 250 personnel from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Britain and the United States have been supporting explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts from the Solomon Islands Police to dispose of the munitions under Operation Render Safe, led by the Australian Defense Force. The New Zealand team is made up of seven navy and seven army personnel in EOD, command, medical, logistics and catering roles, the statement said. The Kiwi team arrived in Australia in mid-August for the force integration training, before deploying into the area of operations in the Solomon Islands last week. The team will return to New Zealand in mid-September. Source: The Namibia News Agency