Georgian troops begin 6-month mission in Afghanistan

The 31st Infantry Battalion of the Georgian Armed Forces touched down on Afghan soil earlier today. Photo by Ministry of Defence
Agenda.ge, 12 Mar 2015 - 13:28, Tbilisi,Georgia

The latest wave of Georgian soldiers have arrived in Afghanistan to take part in an international peacekeeping mission alongside soldiers from all around the globe.

The 31stInfantry Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces touched down on Afghan soil earlier today.

These soldiers are the latest Georgian warriors to take part in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission as part of the United States military contingent. Resolute Support is a follow-on mission from the International Assistance Security Force (ISAF) mission, in which Georgian troops together with international armies resisted Afghan terrorist groups, trained Afghan National Security Forces and assisted Afghans to rebuild government institutions.

The Georgian soldiers were greeted by Mamuka Kavtaradze, a senior military official of Georgian Armed Forces, before they were briefed on their six-month mission – to protect the headquarters of the Resolute Support mission located in the Afghan capital city Kabul.

The 31stInfantry Battalion will replace a United States Army unit by means of rotation. The official ceremony of the mission handover will be held in the Resolution Support headquarters in the near future.

The decision for Georgia to participate in the Resolute Support Mission was made by Georgia’s Parliament on December 26, 2014.

The soldiers will serve in Afghanistan for the next six months.