By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter

The Army launched a 320-strong unit to be dispatched to Afghanistan to protect 100 Korean civilian reconstruction workers, Tuesday.

The unit, named ``Ashena'' meaning friend or colleague in the local language, will be sent to Parwan Province in July for a two-year mission.

About 40 police officers will also be deployed to the terrorism-ridden Central Asian country.

A motion for the unit's deployment was approved by the National Assembly last February.

``The security of Parwan is relatively safer than those of other regions in Afghanistan, but you should have high-level alertness and operational readiness against the enemy's various threats,'' Army Chief of Staff Gen. Han Min-koo said during a ceremony marking the inauguration of the contingent at an Army base south of Seoul.

The unit will undergo maneuvers and devise action plans on emergency situations before its departure, according to the Army.

The contingent will be equipped with four helicopters, armored vehicles, a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle, K11 airburst rifles, high-resolution CCTV and thermal imagers, Army officials said.

Deploying portable explosive detectors and robot systems is also under consideration, they said.

Korea withdrew engineering and medical units from Afghanistan in December 2007 after years of reconstruction operations there and has since been contributing to the security of Afghanistan by joining the NATO-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT).

The PRT is a unit administering international aid to Afghanistan and Iraq, consisting of civilians and military specialists who perform small construction projects or provide security for others involved in aid and reconstruction work.