More than 50 Rochester-based New York Army National Guard Soldiers departed for their nine-month deployment in Kuwait early Saturday morning.

The Soldiers are assigned to Company A of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion.

The Soldiers have been training at Camp Shelby Mississippi since early February.

The Soldiers will be responsible for logistical support at military facilities in Kuwait for U.S. Special Operations Command. Their missions will provide general transportation, supply and maintenance support.

More than 1,700 New York Army National Guard Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, with headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y., mobilized for Active Duty in January and reported to Camp Shelby for post-mobilization training. Approximately 1,200 of those Soldiers are now deployed to Kuwait or Afghanistan.

A task force built around the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Utica and with elements from Ithaca, Gloversville, Ogdensburg, Saranaca Lake, Morrisonville, and the Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor, is expected to deploy in the next week or two to provide security at bases in Afghanistan.