Russia Says Terrorists are in Pankisi

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valeri Loshchinin said on September 17 that ?terrorists still remain on Georgian soil.?

?Yes, there are [terrorist] bases and training centers and there are bandits, especially in Pankisi,? Interfax news agency quoted Valeri Loshchinin as saying.

Georgian authorities claim that following an anti-criminal operation that started in 2002 in the Pankisi gorge, which is in the north-eastern part of Georgia, near the Russian border, cleansed that location of Chechen fighters and foreigners suspected of terrorism links.