More Troops Sent to Iraq

Another contingent of Georgia troops departed from Georgia on July 20 for service in Iraq.

The soldiers are part of a larger deployment, which will mean an additional 1,200 Georgian soldiers in Iraq by July 23, according to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.

Georgia already has over 800 servicemen in Iraq. 300 of them are stationed in Baqubah guarding two bridges and forward operating bases. 550 troops are in Baghdad, positioned around the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

All 2,000 Georgian soldiers, however, are to be located in the province of Wasit to patrol the city of Al Kut, which is 185 kilometres south-east of Baghdad.

The province is on the border with Iran and so the soldiers will also be charged with patrolling the border to prevent smuggling.

In per capita terms, the new deployment will make Georgia the second biggest contributor, after the United States, to operations in Iraq.

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