Georgia to cut nation’s troop presence in Iraq
The former Soviet republic Georgia will cut the number of its troops in Iraq to less than a quarter of the current contingent by June, its defense minister said Friday.
“The Georgian contingent is being reduced to around 300 servicemen from 2,000,” Defense Minister David Kezerashvili told journalists.
“We had an original agreement with the United States that we would cut our military contingent in Iraq in summer 2008.”
Georgia, a tiny Caucasus nation, is a close U.S. ally and is seeking membership in NATO and the European Union. It boosted its military force in Iraq from 850 to 2,000 this year.
Kezerashvili said the decision to reduce the country’s troop presence in Iraq was not linked to President Bush’s announcement this week that the U.S. would cut the number of its forces by at least 21,500 by July.
Several Georgian soldiers have been wounded in Iraq since the country sent troops in 2003, but there have been no deaths. The troops, part of the U.S.-led coalition, have been deployed in and around Baghdad to patrol, work checkpoints and protect key infrastructure.
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