By Chloe Arnold The BBC's Caucasus correspondent

Later this month as many as 200 American military instructors will arrive in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Their task is to train Georgian special forces to eradicate a group of Muslim extremists thought to be hiding in a remote corner of the country.

The US government says its sole task in the region is to spend six months instructing troops.

It's not only about physical presence of military personnel and equipment, but about a new reality in Georgian life

Georgian MP Mikheil Saakashvili

But some in Georgia suspect they will stay much longer, in order to protect a multi-billion-dollar pipeline set to be built between the Caspian Sea and a Turkish port on the Mediterranean, via Georgia.

Others say the US Government plans to establish a permanent military base in the south Caucasus, given its proximity to Iran and Iraq.

Both countries were described by US President George W Bush, as part of an "axis of evil" and the new front in the war against terror.

Caucasian toehold

"I believe that the US military will stay longer than six months," said Ghia Nodia, director of the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development.

He said that while the immediate reason for the deployment was the situation in the Pankisi Gorge - where Muslim extremists with alleged links to the al-Qaeda network are thought to be holed up - he thinks the US has another set of interests in the region.

"It's looking more and more likely that the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline will be constructed and when it is, it will need require some sort of protection," he said.

Others say the US is trying to get a foothold in the south Caucasus, which will shift the political balance of the region.

"It's not only about physical presence of military personnel and equipment, but about a new reality in Georgian life," said Mikheil Saakashvili, a member of parliament and co-chairman of the Georgian National Movement.

Russian considerations

"For years we've been hoping that one day Georgia would get high-level security guarantees from the West, and now that is coming true. At last we are no longer so susceptible to pressures from Moscow," he said.

In neighbouring Russia, politicians and ordinary people have been watching the developments in Georgia with a mixture of scepticism and unease.

I would like US troops to stay longer than six months, because it will bring stability to this region

Georgian pilot

Russia has always seen Georgia as within its sphere of influence, and Moscow regards American military on Georgian soil as too close for comfort.

President Vladimir Putin, however, has said the planned deployment of American forces represents "no tragedy" for Russian interests.

But Alexander Chachia from the pro-Russian Unity movement fears Georgia may become caught up in a much bigger agenda.

Regional anxiety

"It seems to me the real reason America is sending its troops to Georgia is connected with their future plans for some sort of battle in Iraq and possibly also Iran," he said.

But for Paata Vakhtangishvili, 23, a pilot at the Alexeyevka airbase just outside the capital, Tbilisi, a more permanent American military presence may be no bad thing.

The Americans will not be involved in combat, Mr Bush says

"Actually, I would like US troops to stay longer than six months, because it will bring stability to this region," he said.

So far, the US Government has been guarded about the details of its special forces programme here.

Until this becomes clear, Georgia - and an anxious Russia next door - can only guess at how deeply the United States plans to get involved in this volatile region.