Image by U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christina M. StyerImage by 20080814georgian.jpg The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron used C-17s to return the Georgian troops home.

Charleston-based airmen transported 2,000 Georgian troops back home in the ongoing Russia-Georgia conflict.

A story from the Charleston Air Force Base said:
The 14th Airlift Squadron, currently deployed to Iraq as the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, along with the 4th Airlift Squadron from McChord AFB, Wash., airlifted approximately 2,000 Georgian troops from their deployed location in Iraq.

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The squadrons flew missions redeploying Georgian troops from Iraq to the Georgia capital, Tbilisi, on Aug. 10 and 11 after the Georgian government asked the U.S. for assistance. The redeployment operation spanned slightly more than 24 hours, said Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command.

Read on for more about the operation.