Georgian soldiers leave for Afghanistan
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, September 27
The President of Georgia, the US Ambassador to Georgia and other high-ranking local and foreign officials and diplomats took part in a farewell ceremony for Georgian soldiers who will spend the next seven months in Afghanistan.
Two battalions from the III Infantry Brigade and the V Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF), along with National Guard and Military Police platoons, are leaving for the war-torn country.
“Today, when we are seeing you off, we are proud of having so many heroes in such a small country,” Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili said at the Vaziani military base at a ceremony of seeing Georgian soldiers off to Afghanistan.
“There are people among you that have already experienced the Afghan war. You will fight together to provide global peace and security. You will continue the tradition of thousands of Georgians that served global security,” the President added.
Addressing the Georgian soldiers, US Ambassador Ian Kelly stressed that the world owed Georgia.
“We are all proud of what you and Georgia are doing to advance peace and safeguard it around the world. Violent extremists continue to challenge and take advantage of our freedoms and liberties that we all enjoy. And you, your troops continue to stand guard for us, far from your homes. The world is truly indebted to Georgia, for its contribution to international security efforts. You are ambassadors for peace being far away from your families. We will never take your service for granted,” Kelly said.
Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the Resolute Support mission with 885 troops.
The Resolute Support mission was a follow-up task from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, to which Georgia contributed about 750 troops.
