About 300 Georgian soldiers left Monday for Kuwait, where they are to prepare for deployment in Iraq. Georgia currently has about 150 soldiers in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led international military presence. The country plans to raise its contingent to about 850, officials said. The 300 soldiers who left Monday are among some 2,000 trained under a U.S. program for improving the Georgia's anti-terrorism capabilities. Defense Minister Georgy Baramidze said all of those going on Iraq duty volunteered for the assignment. Their primary responsibility will be to guard United Nations offices in Iraq, he said.
