HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
The Russia Journal April 12, 2002 Two peacekeepers injured in Abkhazia -...Abkhazian [authorities]fear that the newly trained Georgian troops could be unleashed against their territory. TBILISI (Associated Press)- Two members of the Russian-led peacekeeping force were injured in a mine explosion as they patrolled the border area between Georgia and its breakaway republic of Abkhazia, Russian news agencies reported Thursday. The peacekeepers, an officer and a sergeant, were patrolling a part of the disputed Kodori Gorge controlled by Georgian forces, the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies reported, quoting unnamed sources. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear. Both were transported by helicopter to the Abkhaz capital Sukhumi for treatment, the reports said. U.N. and Russian peacekeepers also spotted abandoned artillery weaponry during a joint patrol in Abkhazia earlier this week, the U.N. mission in Tbilisi said Thursday. The patrols will continue to monitor the weaponry to see that it doesn't fall into the hands of either Georgian or Abkhaz forces, the U.N. statement said. Abkhazia, a lush province on the Black Sea, won de facto independence in 1993 after a two-year war against Georgian forces. Some 300,000 Georgians fled Abkhazia and the region has remained tense for much of the past decade, with frequent shootings and explosions. Tensions have risen even more following the recent announcement that U.S. military instructors would launch a program to train Georgian troops in anti-terrorist techniques. Though the program is intended to help Georgia fight alleged terrorists in its lawless Pankisi Gorge region on the border with Russia's breakaway republic of Chechnya, Abkhazian separatists fear that the newly trained Georgian troops could be unleashed against their territory. /The Associated Press/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
