Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Until recently, cooperation between the Afghan and Pakistani militaries had been limited

Six Afghan army cadets have arrived for training in Pakistan, another sign of increased cooperation after years of distrust between the neighbouring countries.

The cadets will be the first Afghans to attend the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad.

Until now, Afghan cadets trained mostly in India.

Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan Janan Mosazai called the 18-month stint "an important step".

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who was elected in September, recently held talks with Pakistani officials in the hope of greater cooperation between their two militaries.

His predecessor, Hamid Karzai, routinely criticised Pakistan for sheltering militant groups.

Pakistan always rejected such complaints and accused Afghanistan of failing to stop cross-border attacks.

But after Taliban fighters attacked a school in Peshawar, killing more than 150 people in December, military chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to co-ordinate military operations along their border.