TBILISI, March 17 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia plans to send a battalion to Iraq to replace a military unit currently posted in the country, a Georgian Defense Ministry spokesman said Friday.
The spokesman said the Kodzhor brigade's infantry battalion would undergo training at Krtsanisi military base near Tbilisi before being sent to Iraq, adding that a ceremonial opening of the training was set for March 18.
Around 800 Georgian troops remain deployed in Iraq, mostly combat troops trained by U.S. military instructors. Defense officials in Tbilisi said in late 2005 they had no plans to reduce Georgia's military presence in Iraq.
Georgia has already accepted considerable U.S. military aid and President Mikheil Saakashvili is known for his Western views and desire to take the country into NATO.
