Seven Georgians Dead in Overnight Shelling, Shootout
Reports say that seven Georgian soldiers have been killed and at least seven wounded after heavy overnight fighting on August 18-19, involving the use of grenade launchers and artillery near the Georgian villages of Vanati and Eredvi in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
As a result, the death toll of Georgian soldiers in South Ossetia over the past week has risen to 16.
Georgian officials reported that the villages of Vanati and Eredvi came under heavy shelling after the South Ossetian militias opened fire at 10 pm local time on August 18. Shellings and shootouts continued until the eraly hours of August 19.
However, the South Ossetian side accused the Georgian side of launching the attacks on the Ossetian villages of Sarabuk and Tliakani. The South Ossetian side reported no casualties.
Georgian Security Minister Vano Merabishvili, who paid a brief overnight visit to the conflict zone, told reporters that the Georgian government will make an official statement over South Ossetia ?soon.?
