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Georgian soldiers killed in Afghanistan attack | Georgian soldiers killed in Afghanistan attack |
(35 minutes later) | |
Three Georgian soldiers serving with the Nato-led force in Afghanistan have been killed in an insurgent attack on a base in the south of the country. | Three Georgian soldiers serving with the Nato-led force in Afghanistan have been killed in an insurgent attack on a base in the south of the country. |
Defence Minister Irakli Alasania told Georgian TV the servicemen had been killed when a suicide bomber drove a lorry carrying explosives into their base in Helmand province. | Defence Minister Irakli Alasania told Georgian TV the servicemen had been killed when a suicide bomber drove a lorry carrying explosives into their base in Helmand province. |
In all, 22 Georgian troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2009. | In all, 22 Georgian troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2009. |
Although not a member of Nato, Georgia has taken part in several missions. | Although not a member of Nato, Georgia has taken part in several missions. |
With 1,570 soldiers serving in Helmand province, it has the biggest non-Nato contingent in Afghanistan. | With 1,570 soldiers serving in Helmand province, it has the biggest non-Nato contingent in Afghanistan. |
In his televised statement, Mr Alasania said the militants who had broken into the base had all been killed. | In his televised statement, Mr Alasania said the militants who had broken into the base had all been killed. |
Giving his condolences to the families of the three dead soldiers, he said other members of their battalion, the 42nd, had also been wounded. | Giving his condolences to the families of the three dead soldiers, he said other members of their battalion, the 42nd, had also been wounded. |
Before Monday's attack, the deadliest incident involving Georgian forces in Afghanistan occurred three years ago, when a landmine explosion killed four soldiers, including a colonel. | |
The former Soviet republic has also sent forces to Kosovo and Iraq. | |
However, its unresolved border issues surrounding the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have stood in the way of Nato membership. |
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