Georgia resumes bombardment of South Ossetia
Published 08 August, 2008, 04:39
Georgian forces have resumed shelling in South Ossetia, ending a ceasefire declared by Tbilisi on Thursday. Fifteen people are reported to have been killed in overnight attacks. At Russia’s request, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency debate on the escalation of violence.
According to reports Georgia is currently leading an offensive land operation in the Tskhinvali region.
Artillery strikes are being carried out by large-caliber weapons. Reports say the center of Tskhinvali has been hit hard, and electricity to the city has been cut.
A short time ago, a spokesperson for the South Ossetian government, Irina Gagloyeva, brought us the latest.
“From midnight Tshinvali is being fired on from heavy artillery. The commander of the Georgian peacekeeping battalion has officially announced the strike and the intention to force the citizens from their city, which means an official declaration of war. The situation in Tshinvali is very serious, there is no electricity. There are victims but as the fire is very intense it's impossible to get close to them and even tell the approximate number, but there are reports of dead and wounded. As I was informed, there is destruction in the centre of the city, the government building has been hit. Several houses are on fire,” Gagloyeva said.
Several South Ossetian villages have also reportedly been taken by Georgian troops.
Yuri Popov – co-chairman of the joint control commission of the Russian Foreign Ministry for settling the conflict – called Georgia's actions treacherous.
“I class Georgia's actions as treacherous. I can't understand how it is possible to trust Georgian promises and assurances after that. In this case we see open aggression against South Ossetia. It's important to hold Georgia back from any further escalation of the conflict,” Popov said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry is holding an emergency meeting in Moscow over the events in the conflict zone. The United Nation's Security Council is currently holding an emergency session, initiated by Russia, over the situation in South Ossetia.
The security council of South Ossetia's neighbouring republic of Abkhazia has also called for an emergency session over the situation. Abkhazia’s President Sergei Bagapsh has said that a group of Abkhazian forces are moving towards the Georgian border.
It's also reported that thousands of volunteers from the republic are also heading to South Ossetia in support. The President of bordering North Ossetia-Alania, Taymuraz Mamsurov says hundreds of its citizens are also heading to South Ossetia in support and can not be stopped.
Georgia says it was forced to break the ceasefire, ordered by President Saakashvili earlier in the day, after South Ossetia opened fire.
Tbilisi says it's acting to protect its citizens and has announced it's starting to restore constitutional order in Tskhinvali.
“South Ossetians started the shooting. They have heard our statement, about a unilateral ceasefire and our invatation to join peace negotiations. But in return, we are seeing the opposite reaction and the continuation of fire from the Ossetian site. Georgian forces have taken the decision to restore constitutional order in the entire region,” Georgian Commander of Peacekeeping Operations, Mamuka Kurashvili said.
South Ossetia, meanwhile, says it's pulled out of peace talks, which had been set for Friday.
Earlier Georgia and its breakaway republic of South Ossetia had declared a temporary ceasefire in order to hold talks, which Russia had agreed to mediate.
The President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity has said: “we are going to win and discredit Georgia by our own forces and so far have no plans to call for Russia's support”.
Journalists under fire
A group of Russian journalists got into the crossfire in Tshinvali. The shooting was initiated by Georgian forces and is taking place close to the peacekeeper's headquarters.
According to Rusiya Al-Yaum correspondent Mahmud Kanbar, South Ossetian capital is almost on fire.
“The artillery strikes are being delivered from all directions. Journalists working in Tskhinvali were urged to hide in bunkers and shelters. The city is empty right now. We hear constant shelling. There is no electricity in the city. I can say that the South Ossetian capital is almost on fire. We see blazes coming out of several buildings in Tskhinvali's center,” Kanbar reported from Tshinvali.
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