By KUNA,
Moscow : Georgian military forces, pinned down by Russian tank and artillery attacks, evicted positions in the capital of South Ossetia on Saturday, only one day after taking over the city in fierce fighting with the local forces.
Russian Television stations reported that the Georgian forces, in the face of heavily armed Russian troops, had to withdraw from the city, charging the troops with “perpetrating ethnic cleansing operations,” and taking with them scores of prisoners.
The Georgian forces continue bombarding medical and relief teams trying to aid the wounded, the elderly and children in the zones of military operations, the visual media reported.
Russian military commanders confirmed that the Georgian forces in the capital of South Ossetia were driven back by the assaulting Russian troops, adding that the infantrymen were being reinforced with paratroopers.
Meanwhile, Interfax News Agency reported that two Russian warplanes were shot down during today’s fighting for control of South Ossetia.
South Ossetia, populated by 70,000 people, declared separation from Georgia in the early 1990s. The Georgians and Ossetians signed a Russian-mediated cease-fire agreement in 1992. The truce was observed by Russian peacekeepers.