 Liberty Post -- The Georgian military suffered its first death in Iraq, the Defense Ministry announced on October 2.
26-year-old Zurab Choghoshvili, a corporal in the Logistical Battalion of the Third Infantry Brigade, reportedly committed suicide on September 30.
The suicide stemmed from personal issues, officials said, with no link to his service in Iraq.
Full details aren’t yet known, stated Defense Ministry spokeswoman Nana Intskirveli. Georgian police are carrying out an inquiry here, while US forces are cooperating with Georgian military police in Iraq.
“The body has not yet left Iraq, this will probably happen tomorrow. All we know is that he received some news from home shortly before he ended his life,” Intskirveli told the Messenger on Thursday.
Georgian troops have been stationed in Iraq since August 2003. Tbilisi began deploying another contingent in July 2007, boosting the total number from 850 to 2000. The new contingent is tasked with patrolling the porous Wasit province segment of the Iraq-Iran border.
Choghoshvili is the first Georgian serviceman to die in Iraq, although at least 18 have been reported injured. |
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