Georgian battalion leaves for Afghanistan NATO mission
The battalion is the second GDF unit that has undergone all training for NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Georgia. Photo: Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
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In the latest round of peacekeeping duties for the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the 32nd Infantry Battalion of the Georgian Defence Forces left Tbilisi on Wednesday to relieve their colleagues in Bagram.
Departing to replace the 13th Infantry Battalion at the Bagram Air Base, about 25km north of capital Kabul, the unit received a formal send-off involving Major General Matiashvili, Chief of the GDF and Brigadier General Koba Grigolia, Chief of the Western Command of the defence forces.
The departing battalion is the second GDF unit that has undergone all training for NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Georgia. Previously Georgian battalions passed their Mission Readiness Exercises - the final phase of preparation - at the United States Army-run multinational training base in Hohenfels, Germany.
Assessed by both Georgian drill instructors and their counterparts from US and European forces, the 32nd battalion received high marks at the MREs in Georgia, a release by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia said.
The unit is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Tariel Makharashvili and will replace the 13th battalion for providing base security at the Bagram Air Base, the largest US military base in Afghanistan, over the next six months.
One hundred Georgian servicemen have left for the NATO-led peacekeeping Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, following the 'full pre-deployment training' in Georgia. Prior to departure Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili thanked the servicemen for their dedication to global security and wished them good luck throughout the mission.
The twelfth battalion of the first Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Defence Forces has completed its mission in Nato’s Resolute Support Mission and returned from Afghanistan to Georgia.
A company-sized unit of Georgian peacekeeping forces has arrived in Afghanistan to replace their colleagues for the next round of effort in NATO mission in the country.
Georgian soldiers from the III infantry brigade have been recognized for their service in Nato’s Resolute Support mission in northern Afghanistan, receiving awards for exemplary service from the Multinational Battalion commander and Lieutenant Colonel Wolfgang Schroeder.
A company of Georgian soldiers of the second infantry brigade have joined Nato’s Resolute Support mission in northern Afghanistan to provide security to Camp Marmal, a base of the German Bundeswehr forces.
A company-sized unit of Georgian peacekeepers is on the way to take up their tasks in NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan after leaving Tbilisi on Wednesday.
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.
Tbilisi International Airport is being used as a way station by evacuation flights of the NATO Military Transportation Organisation, which is running daily flights to Kabul and back, the Georgian government reports. "From Tbilisi, passengers evacuated from Kabul are being transported abroad via various charter flights. Up to 2,000 individuals have been evacuated so far via Georgian territory,” said the statement.
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva has sent a letter to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in which she offers 'deepest gratitude' on behalf of the IMF and its staff for Georgia's assistance in the 'safe and swift' evacuation of fund personnel and their families from Afghanistan.