SYDNEY, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Australia will end its Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) on Friday, after 14 years of operation.
The Australian government initiated the peacekeeping mission in 2003 at a time when the Solomon Islands were in the grip of civil war due to ethnic and tribal tensions.
At a cost of 2.8 billion Australian dollars (2.16 billion U.S. dollars), Australia's defence force committed a total of 7,200 soldiers and 1,700 Federal Police officers over the course of the operation, in what the government described as the nation's "largest ever" overseas police mission.
40 Australian Federal Police officers will remain in the country to play an ongoing training and support role for local law enforcement after conclusion of RAMSI.
The Australian government has committed 79 million Australian dollars (60.5 million U.S. dollars) to the "next phase of policing support" for the Solomon Islands, Justice Minister Michael Keenan announced on Thursday.
