Georgian Army Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze repatriated

The body of Georgian Army Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze arrived back in Georgia late on Wednesday 2nd January.

A transfer ceremony was held at Tbilisi International Airport and attended by Defence Minister of Georgia Irakli Alasania and other dignitaries, including US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland.

Sergeant Kikadze went missing in Afghanistan on 19th December 2012. Following a 10-day search and rescue mission, his body was found on 29th December.

Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze was born in Borjomi on January 16, 1988. He joined the Georgian Armed Forces in 2009. After attending the basic combat training course in National Training Center “Krtsanisi”, Sergeant Kikadze was enlisted in the Artillery Battalion of II Infantry Brigade of GAF. He underwent a six-month pre-deployment training for the ISAF mission. He deployed to Afghanistan in October, 2012. This was his second deployment in Afghanistan.

Update on missing Georgia soldier

The Georgia Ministry of Defence has issued an update on the status of a soldier missing in Afghanistan since 19th December.

The SAR (Search and Rescue) operation is ongoing and the mission - involving Georgia and ISAF troops - is being led by Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of GAF, Brigadier-General Vakhtang Kapanadze.

The soldier was reported as missing on 19th December. Since then, a rigorous search mission has been in operation. Georgia currently has two battalions operating in Helmand province; 12/1 Infantry and 32/3 Infantry. 19 Georgian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2010.

Update: The body of Georgian Army Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze was found on 29th December 2012.

NEWS: Georgian soldier missing in Afghanistan

The Georgia Ministry of Defence has issued a statement concerning a Georgian soldier who has gone missing in Afghanistan.

The soldier disappeared on 19th December whilst serving with the Georgian Army in Helmand. The circumstances of his disappearance are as yet unknown. A Search and Rescue operation is currently underway.

Georgia has two battalions operating in Helmand province; 12/1 Infantry and 32/3 Infantry. 19 Georgian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2010.

Update: the body of Georgian Army Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze was found on 29th December 2012.

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.

Georgian Army Sergeant Valerian Khujadze

Republic of Georgia Army Sergeant Valerian Khujadze was killed on 25th April 2012 during a patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He died from injuries received when a bomb exploded beside him.

Born in August 1976, Sergeant Khujadze had served in the Georgian Army since 2004. He deployed to Afghanistan with the 31st Infantry Battalion and had previously served in Iraq. In 2011, he was awarded the "Medal for Participation in Peacekeeping Operations".

3 Georgian soldiers killed in action

Three soldiers from Georgia were killed in action on 21st February 2012 during a combat mission in Helmand province.

The three servicemen were named as Corporal Beraia Valiko, Corporal Meladze Ruslan and Corporal Kacharava Paata. They were killed when their combat vehicle exploded following an insurgent attack.

All three served in the 31st Light Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade.

More information to follow.

Georgian Army Corporal Shalva Pailodze

Georgian Army Corporal Shalva Pailodze from the 31st Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Brigade, was killed in action on 6th January 2012 during an enemy attack on his patrol unit in Helmand province. A Georgian Ministry of Defense statement said he "was killed as a result of a fatal injury during an attack by Taliban insurgents."

Corporal Pailodze, who joined the Georgian armed force in 2008, had the Medal for Participation in International Operations, according to the MoD.

This is the second Georgian Army fatality in a week and the twelfth one since Georgia joined the NATO-led operation in November 2009.

The 31st infantry battalion is now in Helmand province for its second, six-month deployment.

Georgian Army Corporal Besik Niniashvili

Georgian Army Corporal Besik Niniashvili, was killed on 31st December 2011 when a road mine exploded near him during a combat mission in Helmand.

Corporal Niniashvili served in the 31st Light Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade. He had been a member of the Georgian Armed Forces since 2007. During his service, he had been awarded the Medal for Outstanding Combat Service, Honorary Certificate, Medal for Combat Wound and Medal for “Participation in International Operations.

More information to follow.

Georgian Army Jr. Sgt. Rezo Beridze

Georgian Army Junior Sergeant Rezo Beridze, age 35, died from wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his patrol unit in Helmand province. He joined the Georgian Armed Forces in 2002 and had previously deployed to Iraq.

The Georgian Ministry of Defense confirmed his death on Wednesday evening, 31st August 2011. According to a news report in the newspaper Batumelebi, the body of Jr. Sgt. Beridze was repatriated to Georgia on 27th August.

The Georgian Army's 33rd Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade is currently serving in Helmand province, having rotated with the 32nd battalion in Helmand this April.

Georgian Army Private Gia Goguadze

Georgian Army Infantry Private Gia Goguadze was killed in action on 20th June 2011 when enemy forces attacked his patrol unit with small-arms fire. The incident occurred in Helmand province.

Pvt. Goguadze, serving with the 3rd Infantry Brigade, joined the Georgian Army in 2010.

Georgian Army Sergeant Lavrosi Ivaniadze

Georgian Army Junior Sergeant Lavrosi Ivaniadze was killed on 24th May 2011 from the blast of a land mine while on patrol in Helmand province.

J-Sgt Ivaniadze served with the 33rd Battalion and had been in the Army since 2005.

He had previously served in Iraq.

Georgian soldier, Corporal Valeri Verskiani

Georgian Army Corporal Valeri Verskiani died on 14th March 2011 in a German Military Hospital.

Cpl. Verskiani had suffered a severe neck wound from the blast of a land mine in Helmand province on 5th March 2011.

He, and two other Georgian soldiers, were airlifted to the German hospital, where he was undergoing specialist treatment for the neck and throat wound. Sadly he died from his injuries.

Cpl. Verskiani served in the Georgian Army's 32nd Battalion, Light Infantry. He joined the Army in 2007.

Georgian soldier, Giorgi Avaliani

Giorgi Avaliani

A Georgian soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday 22nd February, said the defence ministry in the ex-Soviet republic which has become a significant contributor to NATO-led efforts to combat the Taliban.

The soldier was killed in the troubled Helmand region when a mine exploded, also injuring two other Georgian troops, a ministry statement said.

Corporal Giorgi Avaliani was the sixth Georgian to be killed while serving in Afghanistan, the ministry said.

Georgia is a staunch ally of the United States with ambitions to join NATO, and has deployed 950 troops to Afghanistan -- a major contribution from a small country of 4.4 million people.

Post a tribute to Cpl. Avaliani

Georgia military fatalities in Afghanistan

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

Republic of Georgia military fatalities in Afghanistan

Date	Name	Rank	Age	Unit	Cause
29-Dec-12	Kikadze, Georgi	Sergeant
12-Oct-12	Abashidze, Mindia	Corporal	22	32nd Light Infantry
27-Jul-12	Pantsuala, Givi	Corporal	28	31st Light Infantry	Hostile fire
25-Apr-12	Khujadze, Valerian	Sergeant	35	31st Light Infantry	IED
21-Feb-12	Valiko, Beraia	Corporal		31st Light Infantry	Hostile fire
21-Feb-12	Ruslan, Meladze	Corporal	21	31st Light Infantry	Hostile fire
21-Feb-12	Paata, Kacharava	Corporal		31st Light Infantry	Hostile fire
6-Jan-12	Pailodze, Shalva	Corporal		3rd Infantry Brigade	Hostile fire
31-Dec-11	Niniashvili, Besik	Corporal		3rd Infantry Brigade	IED
27-Aug-11	Beridze, Rezo	J-Sgt.	35	33rd Battalion	Hostile fire
20-Jun-11	Goguadze, Gia	Private		33rd Battalion	Hostile fire
24-May-11	Ivaniadze, Lavrosi	J-Sgt.		33rd Battalion	Land mine
14-Mar-11	Verskiani, Valeri	Corporal		32nd Battalion	Land mine
22-Feb-11	Avaliani, Giorgi	Corporal		32nd Battalion	Land mine
30-Sep-10	Kalandadze, Nugzar	Corporal		Georgian Army	IED
30-Sep-10	Kolkhitashvili, Giorgi	Corporal		Georgian Army	IED
30-Sep-10	Tsetskhladze, Davit	Sergeant		Georgian Army	IED
30-Sep-10	Gogiashvili, Ramaz	Colonel		Georgian Army	IED
5-Sep-10	Shukvani, Mukhran	Lieutenant	28	31st Battalion	IED