TNI Commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto sends off the Garuda Task Force to Australia, where it will assist Australian rural fire services fight the continuing bushfires, at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Saturday. (Antara Photo/Galih Pradipta)

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has sent its soldiers to Australia to help overworked rural fire services fight bushfires in New South Wales' South Coast. The delegation was sent as part of the implementation of the Lombok Treaty, which allows the two countries to ask for help when they struggle to face natural or non-natural disasters.

Indonesia has sent a total of 44 soldiers – including medical staff – from the Army, Navy and Air Force, led by Maj. Wanda Indra Dhanu Abidin. They will stay in Eden, a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, for one month and may stay for longer if required.

TNI Commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto sent off the Garuda Task Force at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Saturday. He said the soldiers would mostly be employed to assist the NSW rural fire service in clearing roads blocked off by fallen trees.