Georgian soldier killed in Afghanistan: ministry

A Georgian soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday, said the defence ministry in the ex-Soviet republic which has become a significant contributor to NATO-led efforts to combat the Taliban.

The soldier was killed in the troubled Helmand region when a mine exploded, also injuring two other Georgian troops, a ministry statement said.

Corporal Giorgi Avaliani was the sixth Georgian to be killed while serving in Afghanistan, the ministry said.

Georgia is a staunch ally of the United States with ambitions to join NATO, and has deployed 950 troops to Afghanistan -- a major contribution from a small country of 4.4 million people.

The country's leadership is seeking to "anchor Georgia firmly in the West" and prove that it is worthy of NATO membership, said a diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Tbilisi released by WikiLeaks this month.

Tbilisi's NATO aspirations have infuriated neighbouring Russia, which fought a brief war with Georgia in 2008 over the Moscow-backed separatist region of South Ossetia.

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