749 servicemen from Georgia’s 31st infantry battalion, which served in the Afghan province of Helmand since April, will start arriving from Afghanistan on Monday evening, the Georgian Ministry of Defense said.
The unit will be replaced by 32nd battalion of the 3rd infantry brigade in a gradual rotation, which will be completed by the end of November, MoD said.
Georgia has lost five of its soldiers – all of them from the 31st infantry battalion – in Afghanistan in two separate incidents in early and late September.
Georgia sent its 31st infantry battalion to Afghanistan in April, 2010 to serve alongside with the U.S. marines in the province of Helmand. With this deployment Georgia increased its military presence in Afghanistan up to 950 soldiers. Georgia first deployed a company-sized unit in Afghanistan under the French command in November, 2009.