Georgia Denies Reports of Fighting in Pankisi Gorge

(Tbilisi, August 16, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Spokesman for the Georgian State Security Ministry Nika Laliashvili denied media reports of an exchange of gunfire in Pankisi gorge between local residents and Chechen refugees.

“Fistfight over the social problems really took place recently, but reports on shootout are exaggerated,” Nika Laliashvili told Civil Georgia.

The Georgian daily 24 Saati reported on 14 August that local residents attacked Salman Gelaev, who is the brother of a Chechen warlord Ruslan Gelaev who reportedly used Pankisi as a hideout in 2000-2001.