page_title: Military history of Georgia
section_title: Involvement in Afghanistan
hierarchical_section_title: Military history of Georgia / 21st century / Involvement in Afghanistan
caption_attribution_description: English: Georgian soldiers with the Batumi Light Infantry Battalion, Regional Command (Southwest), provide 360-degrees of protection during a patrol halt near Combat Outpost Eredvi, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 7, 2013. The battalion's more than 750 soldiers and officers took charge of security operation in the area less than two months ago and have significantly improved local security.
context_page_description: The country of Georgia has known a rich military history, both as a battlefield of empires and as an independent political and military power. The strategic significance and natural wealth of its territory made it the target of many invasions, and the country's independence was preserved against multiple enemies by a succession of states. Before the unification of the country by the Bagrationi dynasty in the 10th century, several states, such as Iberia and Colchis had managed to subsist between the Roman empire and the Sassanid Empire. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, the Kingdom of Georgia was a major regional power, which withstood invasions by the Great Seljuk Empire, Mongol Empire, and Timurid Empire, before its fragmentation and submission to the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. Many Georgians fought in the armies of the empires that ruled the country from the 16th century, be it the Safavids, the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, and the nation kept a reputation for military valour and skill.
caption: Georgian soldiers in Helmand province as part of ISAF, 2013
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