Georgia increases its military contingent in Afghanistan
Georgia increased its military contingent, which participates in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), up to 1,571 people in October, the country's Defense Ministry said.
At present, two Georgian battalions are deployed in Helmand province: the 12th Battalion of the First Infantry Brigade and the 32nd Battalion of the Third Infantry Brigade. The 32nd Battalion is in Afghanistan as part of its second rotation.
According to the Defense Ministry, Georgia along with Australia, military contingent of which is 1,550 people, is one of the non-NATO states, which makes great contribution to the ongoing operation in Afghanistan.
Georgia has lost 18 soldiers in Afghanistan after the country joined the NATO-led operation in November 2009. Seven of them died in 2012.
The Defense Ministry did not announce the number of those soldiers, who were injured in skirmishes in Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Irakli Alasania will visit Georgian contingent in Afghanistan on Thursday. He will fly to Kabul from Brussels, where he will attend the Georgia-NATO Commission meeting.
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