IDF vets who trained Georgia troops say war with Russia is no surprise

[ensho]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1010230.html


For the past few days, since fighting broke out in the Caucasus, 24-year-old L. from central Israel has been trying to phone the group of Georgian combat soldiers he had been training in Georgia up to a few months ago.

L. and a group of young Israel Defense Forces reservists have been watching reports of the fighting in Georgia worriedly, concerned over the fate of the soldiers they had trained for four months.

"We have their phone numbers, but we haven't been able to reach them. These are people we know and we are all hoping for their success," L. said.


Meanwhile, the Israeli trainers are trying to glean from reports on the movements of the Georgian army whether their trainees have internalized Israeli military technique and if the special reconnaissance forces have chalked up any successes after the difficult training they underwent last winter.
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