100 Georgian soldiers arrive in Afghanistan to participate in a NATO-led Resolute Support mission

After the successful completion of the pre-deployment training program, 100 Georgian servicemen have successfully arrived in Afghanistan to participate in a NATO-led peacekeeping mission. Upon arrival at the Bagram Air Base, Georgian peacekeepers were greeted by the Commander of the 13th Battalion of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Natenadze, and the Chief of Staff, Tengiz Gobadze, who both wished the soldiers best of luck in the pending mission.

The newly arriving servicemen will participate in the NATO-led mission entitled Resolute Support (RSM). This non-combat mission was launched on January 1st, 2015, and is focused on providing assistance, training, and consultancy of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) and relevant institutions. The mission currently hosts 13 000 servicemen, 870 of which are from Georgia.

Before arriving in Afghanistan, 100 soldiers underwent an intensive, four-stage training program, and the final qualification of the Georgian peacekeepers was assessed as very high by the European branch of the US Commandment. The servicemen will be mainly tasked with maintaining the security of the members of the RSM mission.

The current deployment is a continuation of Georgia’s commitment to international peace and security and partnership with NATO. As of today, the country is the largest non-NATO contributor to the RSM mission, and one of the world’s largest participants in the Afghanistan peacekeeping missions.