Posted on 08/08/2008 3:54:39 PM PDT by kronos77
The situation, which is currently unfolding in South Ossetia, shows that the Georgian army follows a meticulously developed plan. However, it was not Georgia, but the Pentagon that schemed out the operation to conquer the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia 13 years ago. The Pentagon originally tested its plan on the Republic of Serbian Krajina which existed on Croatia’s territory from 1991 to 1995. Thousands of civilians were killed and numerous ethnic cleansings were held as a result of those operations. The Russian citizens residing on the territory of South Ossetia may face the same fate in the event Moscow does not interfere in the conflict.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced the nation-wide mobilization of reservists. Thousands of reservists have been mobilized, he said.
The Georgian troops have “liberated” the biggest part of South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, Saakashvili said. In addition, Mr. Saakashvili accused Russia of unleashing a large-scale military operation against Georgia.
Georgian troops launched a major military offensive Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia and the president accused Russia, which has close ties to the separatists, of bombing Georgian territory.
A Russian official denied Georgia's accusation of aggression and Russian Premier Vladimir Putin said the attack on South Ossetia will draw retaliation, the AP says.
Officials in South Ossetia said 15 civilians had been killed in fighting overnight. Georgian officials said seven civilians were wounded in bombing raids by Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.pravda.ru ...
Ping!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Between CNN and Pravda ill go for Pravda.
They support their own troops...
The propaganda never ends. It doesn’t matter if it’s Tsarist, Bolshevik or Putin-Fascist. It’s still just outrageously bold and big lies.
The US needs to send some F-22’s and A-10’s to Georgia as escorts for the Georgian troops returning from Iraq. And once they get there, they need to do what the US always does to Russian tanks — turn them into burning wrecks filled with crispy critters.
And this is in Putin's backyard.
Sure.
Uh huh.
Oh yes.
Right-o.
You got to feel sorry for anyone who would take this clap-trap seriously.
Yes, great idea, let’s risk American lives in a conflict on the other side of the world where we have no strategic interests.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The Pentagon said it was monitoring events because more than 120 US defence personnel and contractors, including 35 civilians, are in the Tbilisi area to train Georgian forces for deployment in Iraq.
Lithuania, a staunch ally of Mr Saakashvili, sent its foreign minister on a fact-finding mission to Georgia yesterday.
The EU said it was in contact with international partners including Russia, the United States, Georgia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe about the situation.
Georgia, which borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the break-up of the Soviet Union.
A staunch US ally, it has angered Russia by seeking Nato membership – a bid Moscow regards as part of a western effort to weaken its influence in the region.
The separatist administration in South Ossetia has been trying to gain formal independence since breaking away in a civil war in the 1990s. South Ossetia has run its own affairs since fighting for independence from Georgia in 1991-92, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It has declared independence, though this has not been recognised by any other country.
Russia has troops in the region, on a peacekeeping mandate. But Moscow also supports the separatists.
Mr Saakashvili has vowed to bring South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, back under full Georgian control.
“The US needs to send some F-22’s and A-10’s to Georgia as escorts for the Georgian troops returning from Iraq. And once they get there, they need to do what the US always does to Russian tanks — turn them into burning wrecks filled with crispy critters.”
Get into a shooting war with the Russians in their backyard?
God help us...
Georgia reports new air attack near capital
Updated 3m ago | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print | ----excerpt----
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Intense fighting reportedly raged for a second night in the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia on Saturday and Georgia's interior ministry reported air attacks on three military bases and key facilities for shipping oil to the West.
Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital was bombed by warplanes during the night and that bombs fell in the area of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.
He also said two other Georgian military bases were hit and that warplanes bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility.
Utiashvili said there apparently were significant casualties and damage in the attacks, but that further details would not be known until the morning.
Russia dispatched an armored column into South Ossetia on Friday after Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, launched a surprise offensive to crush separatists. Witnesses said hundreds of civilians were killed.
The fighting, which devastated the capital of Tskhinvali, threatened to ignite a wider war between Georgia and Russia, and escalate tensions between Moscow and Washington. Georgia said it was forced to launch the assault because of rebel attacks; the separatists alleged Georgia violated a cease-fire.
"I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars," said Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, who had fled with her family to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia. "It's impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged."
----end of excerpt----
Any person who could believe that the US or the West could successfully intervene in this dispute in the very backyard of Russia is a fool. Within 30 minutes of any announcement of support for Georgia, every airfield in Georgia would be leveled and any attempt to sail some kind of fleet into the Black Sea in support of Georgia would be suicide. With the U S election around the corner there is zero chance of an intervention. Georgia will be lucky to keep its own sovereignty after this ill considered action. It will most certainly lose Ossetia and most likely the province of Abkhazia as well.
Short, short version: Ex-soviets and ex-soviet colony fighting over oil.
We have “observers” in Georgia....in fact, I bet the 1000 troops they have returning from Iraq will arrive in record time.
There is no Way Georgia can go up against Russia is there?
I have no idea...can give them a bloody nose I suspect.
The Russians haven’t had the strength since Afghanistan, it broke the back of the Russian Army. We could do the same thing they did to us and supply Javelin anti-tanks missiles to Georgia and the invasion is over. They may already have dragons, tows, AT-4s. Anyone of these will take out a T-72 or T-80. The Georgian’s may need some air defense also. We could give Russia a very black eye for very little money and 1 flight from a C-17.
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