Georgia to reduce military contingent in Afghanistan
By Jamila Babayeva
The contingent of Georgian troops in Afghanistan will be reduced by half from January 1, 2015.
"The contingent in Afghanistan will be reduced to 700 servicemen after the withdrawal of NATO forces from this country," Secretary of the Council for State Security and Crisis Management Mindia Dzhanelidze told reporters on June 9.
He pointed out that this issue was discussed during the council's meeting.
"Georgian president, the Security Council and the parliament will be involved in resolving this issue," Dzhanelidze said.
Defense Minister Irakli Alasania also confirmed this information. He stressed that during the new operation in Afghanistan, the Georgian servicemen will assist the Afghans in strengthening the army.
Georgia has been assisting the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since 2004.