Georgian armed forces traded gunfire with militants of the breakaway region of South Ossetia near the regional capital Tskhinvali overnight Thursday into Friday, and South Ossetia said the number of fatalities is estimated at over 1,000.
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?Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili speaks during his television address in Tbilisi, August 7, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
The conflict erupted not long after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said he was offering South Ossetia a ceasefire following days of clashes.
He urged South Ossetian separatist leaders to join direct talks on resolving the conflict. South Ossetia had also agreed to hold fire until talks.
But a Georgian government statement said South Ossetia launched attacks on Georgian villages Thursday evening and Georgian forces were forced to take action to restore order.
On Friday morning, Georgian Su-25 attack planes conducted a bombing strike on the South Ossetian village of Kvernet and a humanitarian aid convoy that was heading for Tskhinvali from North Ossetia, under which circumstances South Ossetia asked the Russian leadership to take measures to protect Russian citizens in the region.
Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev chaired an emergency meeting of the national Security Council to discuss the situation in South Ossetia, saying Russia has always been and will continue to be a guarantor of security for people living in the Caucasus region.
After more than 10 of Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia were killed amid a Georgian offensive, units of Russia's 58th army left for the region to help its peacekeepers.
"Georgian forces in South Ossetia are within the impact area of the 58th army units. Any gunfire in the zone controlled by Russian peacekeepers will be suppressed immediately," Col. Igor Konashenkov, Russian Army Assistant Commander, was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.
It was reported earlier that Georgian troops have begun retreating from the capital of South Ossetia. However, Saakashvili said in a televised address on Friday night that Georgian troops fully control the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, as well as all districts and residential areas in the region except the Java district.
The Kremlin press service said that Medvedev has ordered the government to render humanitarian aid to people affected by the ongoing conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. A mobile hospital will leave Moscow for North Ossetia, and an Il-76 aircraft will deliver medical equipment as well as doctors, psychologists and rescuers.
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Georgian troops fire rockets at a South Ossetian territory near a settlement in Ergneti, 95 km (59 miles) from Tbilisi, August 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
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Georgian soldiers sit in military vehicles near the city of Tskhinvali, 100 km (62 miles) from Tbilisi, August 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)
