Georgia Released Three Ossetians

The Georgian Security Ministry released on October 15 three South Ossetians ? one civilians and two others servicemen of the Ossetian battalion of the joint peacekeeping troops, who were detained by the Georgian law enforcers on October 12, chief of the Security Ministry?s investigative department Kakha Tsereteli told Civil Georgia.

A vehicle of Ossetian peacekeepers en-route to the village of Tsinagar was ambushed near the village of Kirbali on October 12. The driver, Private Ivan Margiev, died immediately after the attack, while two others – Col. Khachirov and Private Dzeranov were wounded.

Georgian law enforcers arrested the injured servicemen, as well as Private Margiev and one civilian, Alexander Dudaev. The detainees were taken to Tbilisi. Later on the same day Col. Khachirov, one of the wounded peacekeepers, died in detention.

Georgian Deputy Security Minister Batu Kutelia told Civil Georgia, that the detainees were interrogated as the witnesses of an armed assault, in order to find out who carried out the attack.

The authorities of the breakaway South Ossetian accused the Georgian side of attacking Ossetian peacekeepers.