Sixty-four Georgian soldiers, who are currently serving in Afghanistan, will be awarded by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia for saving seven American soldiers.

On December 21, 2015 Georgian servicemen, who are protecting international peace within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, saved seven American soldiers following the explosion in one of the Afghan villages.

Georgian soldiers have stated that without their support their American colleagues would inevitably die.

The Minister of Defence of Georgia Tinatin Khidasheli wrote on her Facebook page that the United States (US) command "voiced special thanks” to the Georgian soldiers and stressed they were "proud to serve in the mission together with Georgians.”

Georgia's Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli in Afghanistan, with Georgian soldiers. Photo by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the Resolute Support mission with 885 troops.

The Resolute Support mission is a NATO-led task consisting of about 12,000 personnel from NATO and partner nations.

The mission operated from a central hub in Kabul at the Bagram Air Base, where the Georgian troops are stationed, as well as four satellite camps. Currently 14 partner countries, including Georgia, are contributing to the mission, said NATO.

The Resolute Support mission was a follow-on task from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, to which Georgia contributed about 750 troops. The ISAF mission got completed in 2014.