Last Georgian unit in NATO's Afghan mission begins drawdown

The last remaining Georgian troops in NATO's Resolute Support peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan began their drawdown on Monday, with the 32nd Battalion of the Georgian Defence Forces set to return to the homeland in phases.

Marking the beginning of the conclusion of the Georgian participation in the alliance's missions in Afghanistan, the first servicemembers of the battalion arrived at Tbilisi International Airport on Monday and were welcomed by GDF command, the defence ministry said.

The drawdown of the battalion was launched in accordance to the phased conclusion of NATO's peacekeeping presence in the country, announced earlier this year by the alliance.

Serving under American command at Bagram Air Base north of capital Kabul, the 32nd Battalion also had a company-sized unit under German command in Mazar-i-Sharif in the country's north. The latter unit returned to Georgia last month.

The return of the battalion - part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade - marks the end of their service in the Resolute Support mission over the past six months. Their deployment was the final stage in numerous rotations of GDF units in Afghanistan since 2004.

The defence ministry said the remaining troops of the 32nd Battalion would return home in parallel with the official conclusion of the Resolute Support mission, currently scheduled to close by September.

Georgian participation in NATO missions in Afghanistan have made the country the largest per capita contributor among non-alliance member states.