No Chechen Fighters in Pankisi – Internal Affairs Minister Says

(Tbilisi, January 17, Civil Georgia) – “There are no Chechen or fighters of any other nationalities in Pankisi gorge,” Internal Affairs Minister Koba Narchemashvili stated in the interview to the broadcasting company Rustavi 2 on January 16.

The Minister said that only criminals from deferent part of Georgia are harboring in the gorge at the moment.

“We have already arrested some of them but they are not connected to the abduction cases,” Narchemashvili stated.

Internal Affairs Minister said that no accidents occurred after the removal of the internal troops’ checkpoints deeper into the gorge. 

On January 16 Georgian law enforcers launch operative-investigative actions to free the hostages, remove firearms and eliminate drug trafficking in the gorge.