Georgian Labourites protest against sending military instructors to Afghanistan

The decision of the Parliament of Georgia to send eleven artillery officers to Afghanistan as instructors for local servicemen has caused protest of the Labour Party, which believes that Georgian troops should not serve there. Meanwhile, Tengiz Gogotishvili, head of the NATO Information Centre in Georgia, is strongly objecting and states that Georgia is interested in Afghanistan's stabilization.

Let us remind you that on February 22 the Parliament of Georgia voted 73:1 for sending a group of artillery instructors to Afghanistan to take part in the peacekeeping mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

"Right tomorrow we'll send our written protest to the Parliament, demanding to withdraw all Georgian militaries from Afghanistan. It is unthinkable - on the day our soldier perished there, the Parliament decided to increase our military presence in Afghanistan," Nestan Kirtadze, a representative of the political council of the Labour Party, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Three Georgian servicemen got blown up on February 22, while conducting a de-mining operation in the Afghan province of Helmand. The blast killed Corporal Georgi Avaliani from the 32nd Battalion George, and two more Corporals - Nikoloz Deisadze and Ednar Abuladze - were wounded.

According to Labourites, Georgian troops should not serve in Afghanistan at all. "Unfortunately, our Party is the only one that opposes Georgia's military presence in Afghanistan. We insist on withdrawal of our troops, for it is not our war, and there's no reason to send our soldiers to die there; especially since Georgia has not yet solved the problem of country's integrity, when the fifth part of its territory is occupied," said Mr Kirtadze.

"If it's so necessary, and if there are obligations to cooperate with NATO, then, we can send less than 100 servicemen there. And, if it is impossible to withdraw our troops, we should at least drive them out of Helmand to safer places," he has added.

In his turn, Tengiz Gogotishvili, head of the NATO Information Centre in Georgia, strongly disagrees with the need to withdraw Georgian troops from Afghanistan.

"I'd like to remind those who say that this is not our war that before we, Georgians, came to Afghanistan, the Afghani Taliban and al-Qaeda had come to us. They turned a part of Georgia - Pankisi Gorge - into a hotbed of terrorism. Several 'authoritative' al-Qaeda leaders operated there. We were accused of sheltering bandits, and of making explosives. From here, they contacted, by using satellite communication, with al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan. So, this is our war in Afghanistan, we have to fight for there," he said.

As to Irakli Aladashvili, an expert on military issues and editor-in-chief of the "Arsenali" newspaper, there is really no need to keep a sizeable military contingent in Afghanistan.

"We're rather far from Afghanistan and Taliban, and have several countries in between, in Asia, and Russia. It's hard to imagine that Taliban groupings could reach Georgia. Nevertheless, I agree that we can afford keeping there a small unit, a company or a battalion, at the most, but not 1000 persons like today!" Mr Aladashvili exclaimed.

Tengiz Gogotishvili, in his turn, points out that Georgian militaries in Afghanistan, first of all, get the warfare experience - a necessary thing in case of a new war with Russia.