Georgian soldiers leave for Afghanistan
Mission Resolute Support launched on 1 January 2015 to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions. Photo: Defence Ministry press office.
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The 22nd battalion of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces and 100 soldiers from the 4th Mechanised Brigade have left for Afghanistan today to contribute to NATO mission Resolute Support.
The Georgian defence minister and acting US ambassador to Georgia praised the Georgian soldier’s commitment and contribution to international peace and security and wished them a peaceful return to the homeland in six months’ time.
The Georgian battalion will be tasked to defend the Bagram Base in Afghanistan, while one hundred soldiers will provide security for the Resolute Support Mission headquarters in Kabul.
The departure is a scheduled rotation of Georgian soldiers in the mission.
- Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to mission Resolute Support with 885 troops.
- The Resolute Support mission was a follow-on task from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, to which Georgia contributed about 750 troops.
Georgian troops will continue to serve in Afghanistan in a NATO-led peacekeeping mission after 2017.
100 Georgian soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade are leaving for Afghanistan.
Chairperson of NATO Military Committee Petr Pavel said the alliance wants to assist Georgia in establishing "effective and sustainable armed forces”.
Georgia is maintaining a strong presence in NATO's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan as another unit of the Georgian Armed Foreces (GAF) were farewelled to begin their service in the Middle East.
A Georgian service member paid a surprise visit to his son, during the latter’s basketball match, after returning to Georgia from a NATO peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
David Zalkaliani and Zalmay Khalizad have discussed Georgia's commitment to stability in Afghanistan as well as the two counties' involvement in the international transport routes at the meeting in Washington DC.
Georgian military servicemen of the 4th mechanized brigade have been awarded for their honest, exemplary behavior in the Resolute Support mission in Kabul, Afghanistan