The messenger logo

Georgia sends experienced military to train Afghan troops

By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, February 24
With 73 votes and only one against, the Georgian parliament approved sending an 11 men instructor’s team to Afghanistan to train Afghan forces, on February 22. The decision has received a negative response from certain oppositional forces.

It was a cynical decision from Parliament - one of the leaders of the Labour Party, Nestan Kirtadze stated, "it was especially cynical when the same day information on one Georgian soldier's death and two of our military servicemen’s injuries were confirmed." She has appealed to the current authorities to withdraw Georgian units from Afghanistan, "The Government must adopt an appropriate strategy to do this. When Georgia is divided and occupied and when the authorities permanently talk of new threats and risks, among them possible international terrorist acts, the withdrawal of our military forces from our country is unacceptable.”

Concerning the victims of war, Kirtadze shifted full responsibility on President Mikheil Saakashvili and on the Parliament, "it is not our war and Georgians must not participate in it. This political decision serves only one aim, due to the step the current Georgian leadership is trying broaden its popularity across the international community."

Much to the opposition’s dismay, the Georgian authorities consider that world conflicts are common and equal problems for big and small countries and they should equally contribute to world defence. Thus, participation in Afghanistan operations and sending instructors there are absolutely acceptable to them.

Sending instructors to Afghanistan is more acceptable for Military Analyst, Irakli Aladashvili, than sending additional soldiers, "as much as sending Georgian forces to Afghanistan carries a high risk of accidents, sending instructors rather than soldiers is better. Instructors do not take part in military operations and the chance of them being killed or injured is far lower.”

As for sending soldiers there, the analyst was strongly opposed "I am categorically against more Georgian soldiers going to Afghanistan. The fact that Georgian soldiers should not be sent to Afghanistan, so far away from their own country, was proven during the August war, when the soldiers in Iraq were not able to protect their own country and their return was only arranged after the war was over. I welcome the experience the Georgian soldiers are getting while there, however this experience is only in becoming familiar with modern weaponry and not practical experience, which is more important for us.”