Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze announced on 8 September that Georgia will significantly expand the deployment of Georgian peacekeepers in Iraq. In a statement to the media following his return from a fact-finding visit to Iraq, Baramidze added that the number of Georgian troops in Iraq will be increased from 159 to 300 in the next rotation, set for October. The planned increase is actually less than expected, as previous Defense Ministry plans called for an expansion of the Georgian contingent to 550 personnel. The Georgian contingent, deployed in Iraq since 2003, comprises troops from the 16th Mountain Battalion who graduated from the United States\' Georgia Train and Equip program. Another 50 soldiers from the same U.S.-trained unit are also deployed in Afghanistan. (Civil Georgia)