A South Dakota National Guard unit will be deployed to Afghanistan next year, where they will provide training to the Afghan military, according to a news release from the Guard public-affairs office.

The South Dakota Embedded Training team is scheduled to report to Fort Kiley, Kan., in late January and then to Afghanistan 60 days later.

"We have a great team put together," Maj. John Weber, commander of the embedded training team, said in the prepared release. "We are all looking forward to the mission and the opportunity to work with the Afghan military."

The team comprises soldiers from various South Dakota National Guard units. It was organized based on the skills and leadership traits of its members.

Included on the team are a commander and sergeant major as well as a staff that manages logistics, operations and plans, personnel, intelligence and communications.

The group will work directly with Afghan soldiers as mentors and trainers.

It was trained by the 1st Battalion, 196th Regiment Guard unit out of Fort Meade.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the South Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,100 soldiers and 700 airmen in support of war efforts.

There are about 140 soldiers and airmen from the South Dakota National Guard serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.