Georgia has supplied troops to the Coalition in Iraq since 2003. It has run a number of units through rotations in Iraq and currently has a brigade in Wasit province. It is fair to state that it now has a sizable force trained and combat tested to use in any conflict with Russia.
South Ossetia, about 100 km (60 miles) north of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, broke away from Georgia in a 1991-92 war that killed several thousand people. It has close ties with the neighboring Russian region of North Ossetia.
The majority of the roughly 70,000 people living in South Ossetia are ethnically distinct from Georgians. They say they were forcibly absorbed into Georgia under Soviet rule and now want to exercise their right to self-determination.
Heavy fighting was reported early this morning in the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia after Georgian forces, backed by war planes, launched an assault on Russian-backed rebels.
The battles erupted shortly after President Saakashvili, of Georgia, made a dramatic appeal for a ceasefire after a day of heavy clashes that claimed at least 15 lives.
In a televised address, Mr Saakashvili offered “an immediate ceasefire and an immediate beginning of talks” with the separatist region. He repeated an offer of autonomy within Georgia, saying that he was willing to make Russia the guarantor of any agreement.
However, shortly before midnight, the Georgian Government announced that it had begun an “operation to restore constitutional order”. Witnesses said the night sky over Tskhinvali, the rebel region’s capital, was lit up by explosions.
Georgian troops launched a massive assault on the breakaway province of South Ossetia on Friday, taking control of much of the region and bringing Georgia’s U.S.-allied government closer to the brink of full-scale conflict with Russia.
Just hours after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili declared a cease-fire with South Ossetian separatist troops, Georgian military forces unleashed a barrage of shelling on the province’s capital, Tskhinvali, late Thursday and early Friday. By the morning, Georgian tanks had entered the South Ossetian capital.
The assault put Georgia, a former Soviet republic strongly allied with Washington and Western Europe, on a collision course with the Kremlin, which for years has firmly backed South Ossetia in its resistance to Georgian authority.
Russia also has peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia, and Russian news agencies reported that some Russian soldiers had been killed and injured in the fighting. And most South Ossetians have been granted Russian citizenship.
According to Russian news agencies, a column of Russian tanks and military trucks were moving into South Ossetia. Georgian authorities reported that Russian military jets bombed several Georgian military installations.
The United States has over 100 members of the military in Georgia, training their military. We just completed a joint exercise with the Georgians and other regional allies.
Russia has encouraged minorities in a number of nations that have looked to the West for assistance. Moldova is a perfect example, where Russia maintains troops on Moldovan territory to this day.
The next few days will reveal what the Bush administration will do for an ally, and a valued member of the Coalition.
Table of contents for War in Georgia
- Russia Invades Georgia
- The United States and Georgia
- Georgian Brigade Urgently Recalled From Iraq?
- Russian Bombing Georgian Port and Military Bases
- Report from Georgia
- State Dept Demands Russia Pullback
- Latest From Georgia Fighting
- Cossacks Move to Attack Georgia
- Heavy Fighting, Bombings in Georgia
- Russian Invasion Expands Targets in Georgia
- Update on Peace Corps in Georgia
- We Are Putin Fanatics
- Russia’s Attack on Georgia
- Joint statement on Georgia-Russia War
- Russians Preplanned Georgia Invasion
- Russian Navy Blockades Georgia, Ukraine Concerned
- Pipeline Attacks Confirmed in Georgia
- Invasion of Georgia Continues
- Summary of Recent Air Attacks in Georgia
- U.S. Completes Georgian Troop Redeployment
- Bush Send Military to Aid Georgia
- Air Force Lands in Georgia
- I want to fight fiercely alongside the U.S. Army
- Peace Corps in Georgia Redux
- I am Tamari from Rustavi, Georgia
- Navy Aid Flies in to Georgia
- U.S. Ships Enter Black Sea to Aid Georgia
- US Navy Arrives at Georgian Port
- 500 Tons of Aid to Georgia
- New Pictures of Navy Relief Efforts in Georgia
- Update on US Assistance to Georgia
- The Rubble of Georgian Lives
- Fact Sheet: U.S. Support for Georgia
- USS Mount Whitney Brings Aid to Georgia
4 responses so far ↓
1 Frank Derfler // Aug 8, 2008 at
Kind of like the “Guns of August” … oh shit, it IS August!
2 Igor // Aug 9, 2008 at
People! To you lie! You are deprived by the rights to reception of the truthful information so you deprive of freedom! Georgia has opened fire rockets, tanks, guns and has put авиа blow on sleeping civilians of South Ossetia. Not on military men, and at all on peacemakers, namely on children, old men and women. In the first night was lost nearby 1500 Ossetin (unless it not a genocide???) . And it right after that as the Georgian president declared cease-fire! It meanly and brutally! The Georgian peacemakers have opened fire on the Russian peacemakers! On with whom they should maintain the peace! 12 Russian peacemakers have been killed and 150 is wounded. Russia has urged the world community to condemn murder of civilians and a mean bloody attack. But the Security council has pretended that occurs nothing. And only after that (I place ON IT EMPHASIS THAT ONLY AFTER THAT) Russia has entered into South Ossetia armies for protection of the Russian peacemakers and the Russian citizens (inhabitants of South Ossetia on 85 are inhabitants of Russia). And to you show it as an attack of the Russian military men to Georgia! It is mean lie! Rocket attacks of the Georgian military men give out for blows of the Russian military men! Now, when you read it, in capital of South Ossetia in cellars of the destroyed houses slowly and women and children who hid from bombing attacks of the Georgian army die hard. They suffer from thirst and hunger. The Georgian snipers and artillery do not allow to begin salvage operations. They continue bombardment. Of what these old men, women and children before the president of Georgia Saakashvili were guilty? In that that they wished to be free? In that that they did not wish to be crushed tanks of the Georgian army? And you know that train the Georgian murderers to be at war US military men? And you know that the USA has armed the Georgian army with tanks, helicopters and the weapon? Wake the consciousness! Open eyes! Do not allow to deceive itself! Will suffice to kill each other!!! Let’s live, work, give birth simply to children and to rejoice to approach of new PEACE day!
3 DAMN // Aug 9, 2008 at
Russia is PeacеMaker! Georgia attacked South Osetia and we defend a civilians!
4 Renata // Aug 11, 2008 at
It is a pity that an international community in the 21st Century tolerates cynic and cruel behaviour recently demonstrated by Russia in Georgia. And it is not understandable why the leaders of the EU and other Western world are so cold-blooded and inoperative in helping to solve this rapidly expanding conflict. This demonstrates that in the whole region any nation can feel safe anymore as the cheaper oil or gas matter more than the lives of people.
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