Abkhazia moves to flush out Georgian troops
The Associated Press
SUKHUMI, Georgia Separatist forces in Georgia's breakaway province ofAbkhazia launched air and artillery strikes to drive Georgian troopsfrom their bridgehead in the region, officials said.The Abkhazian move was prompted by Georgia's military action to regaincontrol over another breakaway province, South Ossetia, which beganFriday, said Sergei Shamba, foreign minister in Abkhazia's separatistgovernment.He said that Abkhazia had to act because it has a friendship treaty withSouth Ossetia.
Both regions have run their own affairs without internationalrecognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and havebuilt up ties with Moscow. Russia has granted its passports to most oftheir residents.Shamba said Abkhazian forces intended to push Georgian forces out of theKodori Gorge. The northern part of the gorge is the only area ofAbkhazia that has remained under Georgian government control.
Georgia's Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaia said that Georgianadministrative buildings in the Kodori Gorge were bombed, but he blamedthe attack on Russia.In 2006, Georgian forces moved into the upper part of the Kodori Gorgeto root out members of a defiant militia. Georgia later established alocal administration made up of people who fled the fighting in Abkhazia.Abkhazian and Russian officials have said they believe Georgia intendsto launch an offensive from there to retake Abkhazia and demanded thewithdrawal of Georgian troops from the area.Shamba said the Abkhazian forces had to act because diplomatic effortsto settle the dispute over Georgia's presence in the gorge had failed."Georgian forces in the Kodori Gorge posed a real threat," Shamba said.
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