Defence minister visits Afghanistan

Defence Minister Marise Payne has met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and visited Australian personnel during a trip to Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Senator Payne and the Afghan leader discussed the security situation and Australia's ongoing support.

The minister also met with her counterpart Defence Minister Lieutenant General Abdullah Khan Habibi to discuss the ADF's mentoring and advisory roles.

Australia recently announced it would continue to support the security of Afghanistan with financial assistance of $US100 million annually until 2020.

She also met with ADF personnel serving in the Middle East in the fight against Islamic State and spoke with United Arab Emirates under secretary of defence Mattar Salim Al Dhaheri on stopping the spread of violent extremism, including through the use of social media.