Saakashvili Says Air Radar was Target of August 6 Missile Attack

President Saakashvili said a Georgian air defense radar near the South Ossetian conflict zone was the target of a missile fired by a Russian aircraft which had intruded into Georgian airspace on August 6.

Saakashvili was speaking in the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi where the Georgian Orthodox Church celebrated the Virgin Mary’s dormition on August 28.

He said the August 6 missile incident was the latest in a series of troubles wherein ?the miraculous force? of the Virgin Mary had protected Georgia.

?In all decisive moments, St. Mary has protected us Georgians,? Saakashvili said. ?It happened during the 2003 [Rose Revolution], when not a single bullet was fired and no blood was shed. The same happened in Adjara [in 2004 when local ex-leader Aslan Abashidze was ousted]. The same happened in Tbilisi, when the U.S. president [George W. Bush] was visiting Georgia [May 2005] and when a grenade was tossed, but fortunately didn’t explode.?

?And just recently our defense system was attacked. A state-of-the-art rocket was used and at the last moment this rocket fortunately did not explode,? he added.

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