The U.S. Department of State reiterated on September 16 that the Georgian authorities ?have shown a lot of success? in dealing with the terrorism threat in Georgia?s north-eastern Pankisi gorge.
?We have been concerned about the situation there, and that is the reason why we undertook a process to train and equip Georgian forces to deal with the problem of terrorists who might take refuge on their soil. And, in fact, in the Pankisi Gorge, they have shown a lot of success in that region,? Richard Boucher, the spokesman of the U.S. Department of State, said at a news briefing on September 16.
He also said that cooperation between the United States and Georgia ?has benefited all the countries in the region, including, and especially, Russia.?
The U.S. Department of State issued a statement on September 13 reaffirming its commitment ?to working with the governments of Georgia and Russia to combat terrorism in the region.?