Topeka ? About 170 Kansas Army National Guard soldiers will head to Afghanistan next year for construction-related duties.

The Guard announced the deployment Thursday. It involves members of an engineering company headquartered in Augusta and an engineering battalion headquartered in Iola.

A deployment ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. From there, the soldiers will go to Fort McCoy, Wis., for up to three months of training.

They’ll then head to Afghanistan for nine months.

Guard spokeswoman Sharon Watson says the soldiers will build a base camp and help with construction, repair and maintenance of buildings.