Georgian Army Corporal Mindia Abashidze

22-year-old Georgian Army Corporal Mindia Abashidze, a fire group commander with the 32nd Light Infantry Battalion, was “killed today while fulfilling a combat task under the ISAF mission in Afghanistan”, the Georgian Defense Ministry announced on 12th October 2012.

Cpl. Abashidze joined the Army in August 2008 and was on his second deployment to Afghanistan, based in Helmand province.

His death brings to eighteen the total number of Georgian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the country joined the NATO-led operation in November, 2009.