Georgian Minister of Defense Vasil Sikharulidze’s interview with Associated Press caused a grave scandal. Specifically, on Friday he stated that "training his troops will receive from the U.S. military before heading to Afghanistan could also be used in Georgia's “very difficult security environment.”


Asked whether he was referring to the possibility of another war against Russia, he replied, “On the whole, yes.” The Georgian Minister’s statement aroused U.S. military’s concern, who repeatedly stated that the only aim of sending U.S. military instructors to Georgia is to train Georgian troops for ISAF (International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan).


A few hours after the article was published, Pentagon, turn of phrase, “shouted from the housetops” and the Georgian Defense Minister recanted his statement. Sikharulidze declared to Associated Press that “he did not mean to allude to the fact” that skills gained as a result of training would “be used for military missions elsewhere, beyond Afghanistan.” “This is a regular training for all servicemen before their dispatch to Afghanistan”, the Minister added.

On August 15, the first group of U.S. military instructors arrived in Georgia. On Sept. 1, approximately 65 Marines will begin training a Georgian army battalion in counterinsurgency tactics before the troops head to Helmand province, the Taliban-infested region in southern Afghanistan, ITAR TASS reports.