The FINANCIAL — A Georgian policeman was killed on September 21 in a shoot-out near the Abkhazia rebel region, as the head of an EU observer mission seeking to calm tensions arrived in the country.
According to AFP, the flare-up, the second killing of a Georgian policeman on the de facto Abkhaz border in just over a week, highlighted instability in Georgia after the European Union brokered a peace plan between Tbilisi and Moscow following last month's conflict.
Shots were coming from the Abkhaz-controlled areas, the Georgian officials said. They also said that the Georgian police force in the village returned fire and the shootout lasted for several minutes, Civil Georgia reports.
Although Abkhaz officials confirmed that shooting took place, but strongly denied their forces involvement in the incident.
Rustavi2 reports, that a few minutes before the fire Russians drove with Ural type vehicle on the bridge, reportedly, carrying Abkhaz criminals. The road which the vehicle came from is under Russian control and the criminals, arguably disappeared towards the direction where the Russian are stationed.
Children and women fled the village late last night. Russians declared the state of emergency and occupied positions on the outer perimeter of the village and thus prevented Georgian police to chase the criminals.
According to Rustavi2, despite the request of Georgian side, UN observers have not yet appeared at the place of the incident.
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