Shootout Reported in Ganmukhuri

An intensive exchange of fire broke early on November 20 between Georgian police and Abkhaz militias in the Georgian village of Ganmukhuri, on the Georgian side of the administrative border with Abkhazia, both the Georgian and Abkhaz sources reported.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said in a statement that shootout started when two Russian armored vehicles crossed into the Georgian side of the Abkhaz administrative border in the vicinity of the village of Ganmukhuri at 6:45am on November 20. The armored vehicles were accompanied by the Abkhaz militias, it said.

“They opened fire from machine guns and grenade launchers, as they approached the Georgian police post in the village of Ganmukhuri,” the Georgian Interior Ministry said. “The shooting lasted for about 15 minutes. No one was injured.”

It also said that militias and the Russian forces mined the area before they retreated. The Ministry also said that “intensive fire” with use of grenade launchers was again opened from the village of Otobaia in the Gali district in direction of the village of Ganmukhuri at 10:30am.

“Two combat helicopters were flying over Ganmukhuri at a low altitude at the time of incident,” the Ministry said.

The Russian news agency, Interfax, reported quoting Ruslan Kishmaria, an Abkhaz leader’s envoy in the Gali district, that fire was opened after Georgian police patrol crossed into the Abkhaz side of the border. “As a result of an armed clash the Georgian patrol was expelled back to the territory of Georgia,” Kishmaria said.

Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili described the Ganmukhuri incident as “alarming,” saying that such incidents would continue unless international monitors were allowed inside the conflict regions.

She told journalists that Russia was responsible for all the incidents occurring in the conflict zone, since these territories “are occupied by them.”

“Until Russia’s occupation does not end, until international mechanisms have no opportunity to conduct full monitoring in these regions, we will face the situation, when Russia’s actions will be out of limits and naturally dangerous,” Tkeshelashvili said. “Naturally, it is necessary to exert pressure on Russia so that to put an end to this kind of provocations.”

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