Georgia to send one more battalion to Afghanistan to join ISAF

The parliament speaker of the South Caucasus country of Georgia on Wednesday said it is important for the country to send more troops to Afghanistan where the soldiers are serving the security of their own country as well. David Bakradze made the comment while talking with local media after the parliament had endorsed the reinforcement of one more infantry battalion to Afghanistan. The speaker described the parliamentary endorsement of the government dispatch as a move toward "strengthening the country's security and establishing closer connection with the Euro-Atlantic countries."The Georgian parliament made the endorsement late on Tuesday through a special session. Nine hundred and thirty-six Georgian troops are now serving in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). With a reinforcement of 749 more troops, Georgia will surpass Australia as the largest non-NATO contributory country with troops in Afghanistan. Australia now has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan.So far, Georgia has lost 10 of its servicemen in Afghanistan.Georgia first joined the International Security Assistance Force in 2004 with 50 troops.