Georgia plans to increase the number of its troops in Iraq from 150 to 550, the Defense Ministrysaid on Monday.

According to reports reaching here, Nino Sturua, spokeswoman for the ministry, said, "the Georgian military will provide a fullbattalion for Iraq." But she did not reveal when the soldiers willbe sent.

The Georgian troops in Iraq are stationed in Tikrit, 180 kilometers northwest of Baghdad. It is the hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya has announced earlier that his country will not pull its troops out of Iraq despite the deteriorating situation there.

As a supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq, Georgia joined the coalition last August.

Source: Xinhua