16 August 2004 -- Georgia says two of its Interior Ministry troops were killed overnight in the separatist province of South Ossetia.
An unidentified Interior Ministry spokesman told the Tbilisi-based Novosti-Gruzyia news agency the two were killed in
clashes with separatist forces attacking ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia's Didi Liakhvi Gorge.
Georgian claims that 15 to 20 South Ossetian soldiers were killed or wounded during the night could not be immediately confirmed.
Both sides on 13 August agreed on a ceasefire that began at midnight that same day. But clashes were reported soon after, with Georgia reporting seven of its troops wounded.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has vowed to reassert Tbilisi's authority over South Ossetia after more than 12 years of de facto independence for the region.
(Novosti-Gruzyia/Rustavi-2/ITAR-TASS)
For the latest news on the tensions in South Ossetia, see RFE/RL's webpage on Ossetia.
clashes with separatist forces attacking ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia's Didi Liakhvi Gorge.
Georgian claims that 15 to 20 South Ossetian soldiers were killed or wounded during the night could not be immediately confirmed.
Both sides on 13 August agreed on a ceasefire that began at midnight that same day. But clashes were reported soon after, with Georgia reporting seven of its troops wounded.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has vowed to reassert Tbilisi's authority over South Ossetia after more than 12 years of de facto independence for the region.
(Novosti-Gruzyia/Rustavi-2/ITAR-TASS)
For the latest news on the tensions in South Ossetia, see RFE/RL's webpage on Ossetia.