Georgia, Tbilisi, Jan.8 / Trend N.Kirtskhalia /
Between 2010-2012, a total of 93 Georgian servicemen were wounded in Afghanistan. The information was provided by the Ministry of Defence and published by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information on January 4.
Up to this time, the policy of the Ministry of Defence was not to publish information about any incidents when Georgian military in Afghanistan were wounded.
20 soldiers were wounded in 2010, when the Georgian contingent was first stationed in Helmand province and 44 soldiers were injured the following year, while 29 soldiers were among the wounded as of November 26, 2012.
Georgia sent a total of 170 peacekeepers to Afghanistan in November 2009. In April 2010, Georgia increased its participation by sending a battalion to the Afghan province of Helmand, and in October 2012, Georgia has almost doubled the number of personnel of its military forces in Afghanistan, by sending another battalion. This means the number of Georgian servicemen in Afghanistan has exceeded 1600.
During the period of stay in Afghanistan, 19 Georgian peacekeepers were killed, eight of whom in 2012.
At the funeral of Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze killed in Afghanistan, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that Georgia should continue its participation in NATO-led operations in Afghanistan.