MOSCOW, September 16 (RIA Novosti) - A group of 149 Georgian servicemen from the Georgian Special Mountain Battalion of Special Operation Forces that had been on a peace mission at a NATO air base in Kandahar have returned to Georgia, the Georgian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday.
"Servicemen of Special Mountain Battalion of Special Operation Forces returned from Afghanistan. 149 battalion members were welcomed back home by the commander of Special Operation Forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Dimitri Kiknadze and U.S. Defence Attaché to Georgia, Colonel Mathew Dimmick," said the ministry.
The soldiers were congratulated on their safe return home and thanked for the successful completion of NATO's International Security Assistance Force mission (ISAF).
"Special Mountain Battalion returned home without suffering any casualties," the ministry added.
The Special Mountain Battalion served at the Kandahar Air Base for six months. Under US command, the Georgian military conducted a full spectrum of operations. All battalion personnel are expected to return to Georgia in a few weeks.
Georgia joined NATO's mission in Afghanistan in 2009 as part of a training program. ISAF carries out operations in Afghanistan in order to reduce the capability of the insurgency and support the capacity growth of the Afghan National Security Forces, facilitating improvements in governance.
ISAF sees its main purpose in Afghanistan in assisting the Afghan government in establishing a secure and stable environment in the country via conducting operations, mentoring, training and equipping.
