Four Georgian Servicemen Allegedly Involved in Shop Robbery at Afghan Base

The Georgian Ministry of Defense condemned on July 29 the alleged involvement of four Georgian servicemen in a shop robbery at Bagram base in central Afghanistan.

The Ministry said, citing information provided by the United States Military Police Corps, that the four Georgian troops are among the group of suspects, who are thought to be involved in shoplifting of goods valued at around USD 3600.

The Defense Ministry explained that it closely cooperates with the Americans, and that more details would become available once the Georgian Military Police probes into the matter, upon receipt of case materials from its U.S. counterpart.

The Ministry then stressed that the incident was “isolated” and “unfortunate,” and that it remains “interested in investigating the case, identifying the offenders and preventing such incidents from happening again.”

“Actions of individual officers cannot be generalized on the entire Georgian personnel; the sacrifice and the reputation of Georgian soldiers have been recognized and valued by the international community,” the statement also reads.

With 872 soldiers Georgia is the fourth largest troop contributor to NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. The Georgian troops, whose duties focus on security and rapid reaction force, are deployed in Kabul; Bagram Air Field; and at the German army’s Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif.

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