By David WroeFeb. 18, 2015, 6:12 p.m.

The military head of NATO has confirmed the alliance hopes Australia will remain in Afghanistan - including militarily - beyond the current withdrawal date of the end of 2016.

NATO military committee chairman General Knud Bartels. Photo: Carlos Alvarez

NATO military committee chairman General Knud Bartels. Photo: Carlos Alvarez

NATO military committee chairman General Knud Bartels. Photo: Carlos Alvarez

NATO military committee chairman General Knud Bartels. Photo: Carlos Alvarez

The military head of NATO has confirmed the alliance hopes Australia will remain in Afghanistan - including militarily - beyond the current withdrawal date of the end of 2016.

NATO military committee chairman General Knud Bartels has also told Fairfax Media in a wide-ranging interview that it will take "decades" to defeat Islamic extremism in the Middle East.

"Engaging ISIL and defeating ISIL and putting in place sustainable government institutions across the whole range of the [Middle East] area will take a long time," he said, using the acronym for the Islamic State terror group.

Asked to quantify it, he said "decades".

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NATO hopes Australia will stay in Afghanistan after 2016