Afghan military making progress: Payne

Afghanistan has made good progress in building defence capacity but there were always going to be setbacks along the way, Defence Minister Marise Payne has told parliament.

Recent reports of insurgent advances in some provinces, including Oruzgan where Australian troops fought for a decade, showed what they faced.

"Faced with enormous challenges the Afghan security forces are continuing to strengthen their capacity and capability to counter threats to security and to make Afghanistan a safer place for the Afghani people," Senator Payne said on Monday.