At their base 10 kilometres (six miles) away, another team of Georgian soldiers, a reconnaissance unit, was making plans to sneak up on the post after nightfall for a mock attack.

Looking on, 2nd Lieutenant Andrea Wilson of the US Army National Guard flashed a proud smile.

"They've done well, it's a good defensible position," said Wilson, who came to this mountainous country from its namesake, the US state of Georgia, to train local soldiers for what could be the most dangerous mission of their careers.

Incredible as it may seem, this tiny, ex-Soviet country is about to become one of the US military's top allies in Iraq. Starting next month, Georgia will begin to deploy the first of 2,000 soldiers it is sending to Iraq this year, more than double the 850 now serving in the US-led coalition there.

It is a sizable contribution for such a small country. With a population of only 4.7 million, Georgia will become the largest contributor of forces to Iraq per capita after the United States. If South Korean troops pull out by the end of this year, as they are now slated to do, it will also be the second-largest US partner in Iraq after Britain.

"To the rest of the world, 2,000 soldiers may not seem like a lot, but for a small country like Georgia it's a major contribution," Wilson said. "It's really encouraging."

US officials have praised Georgia's increased contribution as evidence that despite other countries pulling out of Iraq, the war continues to enjoy international support.

"Obviously it's important to have allies and friends help out (in Iraq)," said the US ambassador to Georgia, John Tefft. "It sends a very strong symbolic political signal."

Unlike in previous missions in Iraq, when Georgian soldiers were restricted to relatively safe guard duties, this time they will face significant risks.

The Georgian brigade will be in charge of security in the Iraqi province of Wasit, a hotbed of smuggling near the Iranian border. Georgian forces will also be patrolling the predominantly Shiite local capital, Kut, where coalition forces have clashed with insurgents.

"Now the Georgians will actually own some terrain, be in control of it, which is a much more robust mission than they've been used to," said Major Tony Fournier, the current US commander of the Krtsanisi National Education Centre, where US soldiers are training their Georgian counterparts.

"Thus far they've had no soldiers killed in Iraq. Hopefully they can keep that record, but it's unlikely," Fournier said. Georgian soldiers training to go to Iraq say they feel confident and well-prepared.

"The soldiers are absolutely ready. We have been very well-trained thanks to the American forces," said Lieutenant Zura Gogididze, the commander of the unit taking part in Wilson's training exercise.

Over the last five years, the US has spent more than 175 million dollars (132 million euros) on military assistance to Georgia, providing modern weaponry and equipment along with training.

For Georgia, boosting its contribution to the war in Iraq is a way of cementing an increasingly strong alliance with the United States.

Dominated by neighbouring Russia for most of the last two centuries, Georgia has sought closer ties with the West since President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power after the 2003 so-called Rose Revolution. Saakashvili has pledged to bring his country into NATO and said Georgia's contribution to international missions is a key step toward membership.

Russia has reacted angrily to Georgia's pro-Western course, banning imports of its most important goods and cutting off transport links with the country.

Russia also supports two separatist regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which broke away from the country amid heavy fighting in the early 1990s.

The experience and equipment Georgia is gaining through military cooperation with the United States could prove decisive if the country decides to retake the regions by force. Saakashvili has pledged to reclaim the regions peacefully, but analysts say the Georgian military clearly sees retaking control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as its long-term goal.

Georgian soldiers training for Iraq are also thinking long-term.

"The most important mission for the modern Georgian army will be the return of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Gogididze said.

Unlike in the United States, where President George W. Bush is facing increasing opposition to the war, there appears to be widespread public support for the Georgian troop surge.

Georgia's parliament approved the troop increase by a vote of 145-2 on June 8 and on the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, many Georgians supported the move as a way of paying back the US.

"The United States has been our strongest friend and we should support them, even if it means putting our soldiers in danger," said Amiran, a 53-year-old mechanic.

Some did question, however, whether Georgia is jumping on to a sinking ship.

"Of course it would be good for Georgia to join NATO, but what does that have do with fighting in Iraq? A lot of NATO members disagree with the war," said Bekha, a 19-year-old student. "It's America's fight, not ours."

related report

Benchmarks: U.S. troop deaths still high
by Martin Sieff
UPI Senior News Analyst Washington (UPI) June 15 - The rate at which U.S. troops are being killed in Iraq continued to rise through the first half of June at an even higher rate than the grim figures for April and May.

As of June 15, 3,513 U.S. troops had been killed in Iraq since the start of military operations to topple Saddam Hussein on March 19, 2003. Of these, 2,885 were killed in action, according to official figures issued by the U.S. Department of Defense.

In all, 89 U.S. soldiers were killed in the 23-day period from May 24 through June 15 at an average rate of 3.88 per day. This was worse than the previous 23-day period from May 1 through May 23 when 82 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just over 3.5 per day. And those figures were more than 25 percent up on the death rate during the previous 12-day period from April 19 through April 30 when 33 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of 2.75 per day.

The latest figures for the last week of May and the first half of June were also significantly worse than the 28-day period from March 22 to April 18 when 87 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just over 3.1 per day. They were also almost 25 percent worse than the 22-day period from Feb. 28 to March 21, when 67 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just over three per day.

The latest rates show that the "surge" strategy, while it has succeeded in suppressing much of the random killing by sectarian militias in Baghdad that preceded it, has clearly left U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital more exposed and vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Some 79 U.S. soldiers were killed in the 27-day period from Feb. 1 to Feb. 27 -- an average rate of just over 2.93 per day. Those figures were almost identical to the previous 27-day period when 78 U.S. troops were killed from Jan. 4 to Jan. 31 at an average rate of 2.81 per day.

The latest figures are also worse than the fatality rate of 3.4 killed per day during the 29-day period from Dec. 7 to Jan. 4, when 99 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. They are more than 75 percent worse than the death rate during the 16-day period from Nov. 21 to Dec. 6, when 35 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just over 2.2 per day.

The latest figures are also worse than those for the 14-day period from Nov. 7 to Nov. 20, when 32 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just below 2.3 per day. And they are worse than the 22-day period from Oct. 16 to Nov. 6, when 371 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just below 3.23 per day.

During the 18-day period from Sept. 28 to Oct. 15, 56 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of just over 3.1 per day. That rate was identical to the one we reported Oct. 1 in these columns for the nine days from Sept. 19 to Sept. 27, when 28 U.S. soldiers were killed at an average rate of 3.1 per day. At that time, we noted that these figures were far higher than the rate during the previous 18-day period, when 33 U.S. soldiers were killed from Sept. 1 to Sept. 18, at an average rate of 1.77 per day. Those Sept. 19 to Oct. 15 figures were almost identical to the average rate per day of the past 50 days.

The current death rate of U.S. troops in Iraq is therefore worse for a sustained period of time than it has been for any comparable three-week period in at least the past two years. And it shows no signs of dropping.

As of Friday, Wednesday, 25,950 U.S. soldiers had been injured in Iraq since the start of military operations to topple Saddam. During the 23 days from May 24 through June 15, 401 U.S. soldiers were injured at an average rate of 17.4 per day. This was a striking improvement on the previous 23-day period from May 1 through May 23 when 637 U.S. soldiers were injured at an average rate of 27.7 per day.

However, the latest rate of casualties was still higher than during the 12 days from April 19 through April 30 when 148 U.S. troops were wounded at an average rate of 12.33 per day. And it was also almost twice as bad as during the 28-day period from March 22 through April 18 when 254 U.S. soldiers were injured at a rate of just over nine per day.

The latest figures were considerably better than the rate of 23.2 wounded per day during the 22-day period from Feb. 28 to March 21. But they were slightly worse than the 27-day period from Feb. 1 to Feb. 27, when 398 U.S. soldiers were injured at an average rate of 16.9 per day. The latest rates of U.S. soldiers injured per day are very close to the figures for the 27-day period from Jan. 4 to Jan. 31, when 465 U.S. soldiers were injured at an average rate of 17.2 per day.

The significantly lower injured rates may indicate that the insurgents are not able to set off as many improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, to ambush U.S. troops as before. And if this trend continues, it may point to the success of new U.S. counter-IED technology and tactics.

However, the latest figures it may also confirm reports that when they do, the latest IEDs are more deadly and inflict a greater proportion of fatalities to injuries.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
US Army National Guard
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News