Good Grief: Taliban Suicide Bombing Killed 7 Georgian Troops In Helmand Province So Georgian Defense Minister Closes Three Bases

Apparently the defense minister for the nation of Georgia has never watched the movie "Patton."

In a shocking bow down to the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, Georgia has closed three bases after a Taliban suicide bombing at one of the bases last week killed seven Georgian troops.

What?  Does that mean if an Islamic terrorist sets off a bomb in the biggest city in Georgia next week that the whole nation of Georgia will convert to Islam?  Will the entire city move to other parts of the country?

Great move doofus.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

Georgia closes 3 bases in Helmand after suicide attack kills 7 soldiers


The Taliban have scored a major propaganda victory by focusing attacks on Georgian troops based in Helmand province. Yesterday, Georgia's defense minister said that two bases manned by his country's troops have been closed and a third will be shut down in several days. From Khaama Press:

Georgian defense minister, Irakli Alasania on Wednesday said the decision was taken following a series of attacks by militants on Georgian military bases.

While speaking in a show "Rustavi-2″, Alasania said we appealed to NATO command on the mesaures that should have been taken to ensure the safety of our troops after the first attack.

Alasania further added, the process of fortification and engineering reinforcement has been already started after the recommendations of the Georgian side had been accepted.
Without elaborating further Alasania confirmed that two bases were closed however he did not name the exact locations due to unknown reasons.

In the meantime he said that the military base which was recently attacked should also be closed in three or four days..

The Taliban killed seven Georgian soldiers in a suicide attack on a base in the Now Zad district on June 6. And in a bombing on May 13 at a base in the Musa Qala district, three more Georgian soldiers were killed.

Georgian soldiers have filled in for US Marines as they are withdrawing from the province.

Taliban suicide bomber kills 6 Georgian troops at base in Helmand

Yesterday was a horrific day for the nation of Georgia.  We honor the soldiers of this country who have fought for freedom in Afghanistan.  May G_d let them rest in peace and allow us vengeance upon their deaths.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

Taliban suicide bomber kills 6 Georgian troops at base in Helmand


The Taliban claimed credit for a suicide attack today at a base in the southern Afghan province of Helmand that killed six Georgian soldiers. The suicide attack is the sixth of its kind by the Taliban and their allies in less than two weeks.

Today's suicide attack took place inside a Forward Operating Base manned by Georgian troops in the district of Now Zad in northern Helmand. Now Zad was largely under Taliban control before US Marines launched an offensive in 2010 to drive the group from the populated areas of the district.

Irakly Dzneladze, the chief of Georgia's military staff, stated that "[i]t was a terrorist attack on our base .... Six of our soldiers died, nine were wounded,"according to Reuters.

The Taliban claimed the attack in a statement released on Voice of Jihad, their propaganda website. The attack "killed 20 foreign invaders and wounded dozens others," the Taliban claimed.

The suicide bomber was identified as "Abdul Ghafar from Kandahar province." According to the Taliban, Ghafar "detonated his truck laden with heavy-duty explosives inside a large ISAF base, located on the road in Angrak Karez area, causing the above mentioned casualties as well as destroying several tanks and vehicles parked inside."

The Taliban routinely exaggerate the effects of their operations and boost the counts of ISAF and Afghan personnel killed.

The Taliban have said they would step up attacks against "foreign invaders," or Coalition personnel operating under the command of the International Security Assistance Force as well as workers from non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan, and stressed that suicide and insider attacks would be used. [See LWJ report, Taliban promise suicide assaults, 'insider attacks' in this year's spring offensive.]

Today's suicide attack in Helmand is the sixth high-profile suicide bombing in Afghanistan by the Taliban and their allies in the past 10 days. The last major suicide attack, which took place on June 3, killed 10 Afghan students, two US soldiers, and an Afghan Local Policeman after US and Afghan soldiers were targeted outside a school in Paktia.

On May 29, the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Taliban launched a joint suicide assault on the governor's compound in Panjshir. That same day, a suicide assault team attacked a Red Cross office in Jalalabad. The Taliban have denied involvement in the Jalalabad assault.

On May 24, a Taliban suicide assault team targeted a UN-linked NGO compound in Kabul. And on May 23, a suicide bomber killed seven people in an attack that targeted a local militia commander in Ghazni.

Russia Accuses Georgia of Aiding Al Qaeda In Attacks In Russian Region

The Russians, as you have seen here at Holger Awakens, have been under a heightened siege of attacks by islamic terrorists over the past year and now Russian intelligence agents are accusing Georgia of aiding those al Qaeda-linked terrorists in infiltrating the Russian Caucasus region. Georgia has adamantly denied the allegations and is accusing Russia of trying to set up a reason to invade Georgia.

Supposedly, the Russians have "evidence" of the Georgian assistance to the terrorists. I'd have to say that as far as I know, al Qaeda backed islamists in this region certainly don't need any help from the Georgians and quite frankly, the Georgians would be next on the hit list by the same islamists.

Here's the story from Google News:

Russia accuses Georgia of aiding Al-Qaeda

MOSCOW — Georgia is training and lending safe passage to Al-Qaeda agents planning terrorist acts in the Russian Caucasus, the head of Russia's FSB secret service charged Tuesday.
Georgia immediately denied the claim as "preposterous" and accused Moscow of stoking tensions.
"Audio evidence seized from insurgents shows that, together with emissaries of Al-Qaeda, they had contacts with representatives of the Georgian secret services," Alexander Bortnikov said, quoted by Russian news agencies.
Through these links, Georgia "participated in the training and transfer of terrorists to the territory of Chechnya," the FSB chief said.
Bortnikov also accused Tbilisi of supplying arms and funding terrorist activities in the neighbouring Caucasus region of Dagestan.
"They perpetually undertake to deliver weapons, explosives and financing for subversive acts on high security sites in Dagestan -- first and foremost on oil and gas pipelines," he said.
The head of Georgia's National Security Council, Eka Tkeshelashvili, said Russia was looking to create a pretext for actions against Georgia.
"Of course this is yet another preposterous propaganda statement. The goal is to increase the temperature in an already tense situation," she told AFP.
"In the case Russia decides to take aggressive actions against Georgia, it would use such accusations as a pretext. This is why the international community has to pay attention to these statements and point out that such statements are unacceptable."
Tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi remain high after they fought a war in August 2008 over Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, which lies just south of the mountains from the turbulent Russian Caucasus.
Russia has faced mounting violence throughout its largely Muslim Northern Caucasus in recent months as Islamist militants wage a low-level insurgency against the Moscow-backed local authorities.
Russian officials have long charged that the insurgency is fuelled by foreign funding. They have also said that Georgia, which shares a mountainous border with Chechnya, has harboured Chechen rebel fighters.

Russia Accuses U.S. of Sending Arms to Georgia

The Russians are throwing fits because they want the head of Georgia to fall and of course, want some Russian-backed puppet to take his place and now, the Russians are accusing the U.S. of having sent arms into Georgia along with humanitarian aid. Well, shove it Russia! Here's the details from Breitbart:

"If instead of choosing their national interests and the interests of the Georgian people, the United States and its allies choose the Saakashvili regime, this will be a mistake of truly historic proportions," he said.
"For a start it would be right to impose an embargo on weapons to this regime, until different authorities turn Georgia into a normal state," he said in an address at Russia's top foreign policy graduate school.



Without naming a specific country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said there were "suppositions" that the cargo of military ships bringing aid to Georgia may also have included "military components that will be used for the rearmament" of Georgia's military. He provided no evidence, but said such suspicions were a reason for Russia's call for an arms embargo.

The Russians are finally showing their hand. In these fits of rage, they are revealing now why they went into Georgia and it is all over the leadership of President Mikhail Saakashvili. The Russians have set things up for Saakashvili to fall from power over the next six months and that is why the Russians don't want any U.S. or European support of his government.

This is exactly what the Russians did in Chechnya and many Ukranians feel will happen to them further down the line. It will be interesting to see how vehement the response if from the U.S. to these accusations.

Russia says US may have sent weapons to Georgia



MOSCOW (AP) - Russia warned the West on Monday against supporting Georgia's leadership, suggesting that the United States carried weapons as well as aid to the ex-Soviet republic and calling for an arms embargo until the Georgian government falls.
The remarks by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his spokesman are likely to anger the United States and Europe and enrage Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has said Russia's goal all along has been to remove him from power.
"If instead of choosing their national interests and the interests of the Georgian people, the United States and its allies choose the Saakashvili regime, this will be a mistake of truly historic proportions," he said.
"For a start it would be right to impose an embargo on weapons to this regime, until different authorities turn Georgia into a normal state," he said in an address at Russia's top foreign policy graduate school.
Hours later, the spokesman for Lavrov's ministry suggested U.S. ships that carried humanitarian aid to Georgia's Black Sea coast following last month's war may also have delivered weapons.
Without naming a specific country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said there were "suppositions" that the cargo of military ships bringing aid to Georgia may also have included "military components that will be used for the rearmament" of Georgia's military. He provided no evidence, but said such suspicions were a reason for Russia's call for an arms embargo.
Lavrov reserved particular criticism for the United States, which has trained Georgian troops, saying such aid had failed to give Washington sufficient leverage to restrain the Georgian government. Instead, he said, "It encouraged the irresponsible and unpredictable regime in its gambles."
Neither the State Department nor the Pentagon had immediate comment.
Human Rights Watch said Monday that Georgia—as well as Russia—dropped cluster bombs during the conflict. The rights group said Georgia's government has admitted it, while Russia continues with denials.
"These indiscriminate attacks violate international humanitarian law," said Bonnie Docherty, arms division researcher at the New York-based body, who said the casualty toll in only four Georgia villages from cluster bombs and their leftover duds was 14 dead and dozens wounded.
The revelation could provide fuel for Russia, which has traded allegations with Georgia over controversial weapon usage, human rights violations and disinformation.

Russia Warns That It Will Respond To Any Agrression

The words are heating up primarily between Europeans and the Russians as some members of the EU are trying to take a tough stance on Russia's invastion of Georgia. Here's some of the details of Russia's warning here at Reuters:

"Russia does not want confrontation with any country. Russia does not plan to isolate itself," Medvedev said in an interview with Russia's three main television stations.
But he added: "Everyone should understand that if someone launches an aggressive sortie, he will receive a response." He said Russian law allowed the Kremlin to impose sanctions on other states, though it preferred not to go down that path.

One of the toughest critics of Russia right now is Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said this:

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Russia's intervention in Georgia was dangerous and unacceptable.
"In the light of Russian actions, the EU should review -- root and branch -- our relationship with Russia," Brown wrote in a comment published in Britain's Observer newspaper.

Now, too many of the Europeans are too indebted to Russia for their natural gas and oil needs to make any real sanction type moves but I am fairly impressed by the tough talk coming out of Britain's Prime Minister.

And I think Russia's Medvedev is second-guessing some of the manuevers the Russians made in the conflict. Even if the Europeans continue as usual with their importing of Russian oil and gas, those same Europeans hold some pretty powerful financial links in Russia and by playing a game of it, they could hurt Russia at a time when she was starting to see some daylight.

Russia warns it will respond to "aggression"

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia does not want confrontation with the West but will hit back if attacked, Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday, a day before EU leaders meet to draft a response to Moscow's actions in Georgia.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would press fellow European Union leaders to review ties with Russia in retaliation for Moscow's decision to send troops to Georgia and recognize two Georgian breakaway regions.
But underlining the differences in approach inside the 27-member EU, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier took a softer line, saying isolating Russia would harm the interests of the bloc.
A senior U.S. diplomat said Washington hoped the EU would express concrete support for Georgia's territorial integrity, and urged Europe to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.
Medvedev faces growing condemnation from the West, which accuses Russia of occupying parts of Georgia, while the Kremlin said it acted to prevent what it called genocide against the separatist regions.
"Russia does not want confrontation with any country. Russia does not plan to isolate itself," Medvedev said in an interview with Russia's three main television stations.
But he added: "Everyone should understand that if someone launches an aggressive sortie, he will receive a response." He said Russian law allowed the Kremlin to impose sanctions on other states, though it preferred not to go down that path.
GEORGIAN CALL
Georgia urged the European Union to impose sanctions against those doing business with the two separatist regions, authorize a civilian mission to monitor buffer zones around them and give Tbilisi about $2 billion to help to help repair damage.
"Europe can do a lot, starting with sending a mission of civilian monitors, which would lead to an international peacekeeping mechanism that would replace the presence of Russian troops," Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told Reuters in Brussels.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Russia's intervention in Georgia was dangerous and unacceptable.
"In the light of Russian actions, the EU should review -- root and branch -- our relationship with Russia," Brown wrote in a comment published in Britain's Observer newspaper.
The German foreign minister said Moscow deserved criticism but Europe needed cooperation with Russia.
"Europe would only be hurting itself if we were to get full of emotion and slam all the doors shut to the rooms that we will want to enter afterwards," Steinmeier said.
Russia supplies more than a quarter of Europe's gas needs. Some observers say this makes tough EU sanctions unlikely.

Did U.S. Intelligence Miss The Russian Buildup For Georgian Invasion?

I found this article here, at Family Security Matters, pretty darn good. It asks a question that certainly has been on my mind and that is how Russia was able to mobilize all of those troops, armor, ships and aircraft seemingly under the nose of American intelligence world wide. Here's some from the article:

So how did we manage to miss the mark? Especially since these were not hidden preparations for a covert terrorist attack but intelligence targets that should have been large and rather obvious?

For most of the last two weeks, certain networks of unreconstructed Cold Warriors (Motto: “They’re baaaack!”) have been asking ourselves precisely these questions. So far, our collective soundings indicate that the U.S. intelligence establishment was closely following the Russian preparations, even concluding that a sudden move might be imminent against the fledgling Georgian republic. But what apparently stopped the analysis in its tracks was the unspoken assumption that the Russian move was unlikely to occur before the Olympics, with its traditional truce and so many heads of state hobnobbing together in Beijing.

Because those agencies shared neither a common zip code nor even the same travel agent, it was not immediately clear how consolidation would produce more insightful analysis. Instead, log-rolling now seemed to have been permanently enshrined. Some skeptics even murmured that layering an already entrenched bureaucracy meant only that the invitation to disaster had been engraved rather than scribbled.

You know, this is truly scary that in all of our intelligence community, EVERYONE bought into the premise that Russia wouldn't do anything while it's leader, Putin, sat in the same section of bleachers in Beijing as half the world's leaders. Are these the same intelligence people that are assuming that Iran won't fire a nuke first? Are they the ones that don't think Hezbollah will attempt to cross the Israeli border?

I don't know about you all, but I'm having some serious doubts about the mentality of our intelligence community and I sure as hell hope that soon, they bring in some personnel that isn't afraid to think out of the box a bit more.

How Did Russian Invasion of Georgia Happen Under Our Noses?

Among the shoes yet to be dropped after the Russian invasion of Georgia: What did U.S. intelligence know and when did they know it? After seven years and several waves of organizational “reforms,” are we any better now at connecting the dots than we were before 9/11?

Remember the amicable way in which President Bush chatted up his old buddy Vladimir Putin at the opening of the Olympic Games? Now maybe George W. is a better actor than people ever realized. But he hardly looked like the leader of the Free World transfixed by the awful thought that Russian troops were once again on the march, hell-bent on invading the soil of a brave American ally. His administration as well as most of the NATO alliance seemed equally befuddled, surprised, and caught off-guard. When the Beijing weekend was over, Bush rushed back to the Rose Garden to deliver an impassioned though belated warning. But Generalissimo Putin had already flown directly to the invasion’s jumping-off point, the better to rally his troops for their murderous tasks.

What was especially hard for me, a former intelligence officer, to understand was how our far-flung and hugely expensive espionage establishment could have missed the telltale signs of Russian preparations. The reason: an invasion is one of the most unsubtle animals in the intelligence menagerie. After updating old Soviet practices, the Russians still had to move scores of ships, aircraft, armored and mechanized regiments, even elite paratrooper formations, hundred of miles to their pre-invasion positions. Had they somehow succeeded in imposing strict radio silence (an unlikely feat), there are literally dozens of systems and scores of ways in which those preparations should have been uncovered.

Benjamin Franklin classically observed that three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead. But today he would certainly add that you’re still in trouble if the live one has a cell phone. So how did we manage to miss the mark? Especially since these were not hidden preparations for a covert terrorist attack but intelligence targets that should have been large and rather obvious?

For most of the last two weeks, certain networks of unreconstructed Cold Warriors (Motto: “They’re baaaack!”) have been asking ourselves precisely these questions. So far, our collective soundings indicate that the U.S. intelligence establishment was closely following the Russian preparations, even concluding that a sudden move might be imminent against the fledgling Georgian republic. But what apparently stopped the analysis in its tracks was the unspoken assumption that the Russian move was unlikely to occur before the Olympics, with its traditional truce and so many heads of state hobnobbing together in Beijing.

While that might sound just like 9/11, most intelligence officers are reminded of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. It began after the Egyptians suddenly crossed the Suez Canal, overrunning shocked (but mostly unmanned) Israeli defenses. But for months, the Egyptians had painstakingly conducted nearly identical maneuvers, counting on the endless repetition and the upcoming Yom Kippur holiday to dull Israeli sensitivities to their growing peril. Ever since, the Mossad and its sister agencies have referred to that mind-set as “The Concept,” recognizing it as the deadliest of enemy deceptions.

Except, of course, for all those times when you resolutely insist on deceiving yourself. To help prevent that, the 9/11 Commission recommended sweeping changes to our intelligence establishment. Eventually, fourteen separate intelligence agencies were consolidated under the newly created Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Because those agencies shared neither a common zip code nor even the same travel agent, it was not immediately clear how consolidation would produce more insightful analysis. Instead, log-rolling now seemed to have been permanently enshrined. Some skeptics even murmured that layering an already entrenched bureaucracy meant only that the invitation to disaster had been engraved rather than scribbled.

DNI steadfastly refused all comment on the questions posed here, perfectly sensible behavior for an agency whose acronym is pronounced “deny.” But a new Congress and a new administration should unravel the growing hodge-podge before enemies past and present clarify its shortcomings beyond all doubt.

U.S. Military Trainers Say Georgian Troops Were Not Ready For War

This really is an excellent article over here at Breitbart, I suggest you read the entire article. A handful of U.S. military advisers who had been sent into Georgia for some training, basically have revealed that the Georgian troops being sent to defend against the Russians simply were not prepared for that action. Look at some of the details:

U.S. military trainers—the only American boots on the ground—say the Georgian soldiers they knew who were sent to battle the Russians had fighting spirit but were not ready for war.
The Georgians were "beginning to walk, but by no means were they running," said Army Capt. Jeff Barta, who helped train a Georgian brigade for peacekeeping service in Iraq. "If that was a U.S. brigade it would not have gone into combat."

"From what I've heard, a lot of the 4th Brigade was hit pretty hard," said Rachel Dejong, 24, a Navy medic from Richmond, Ind.
The Georgian company commander who was training alongside Barta was killed.
"Some of the soldiers seemed really grateful for the things we taught them," said Barta, a 31-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, but he acknowledged it was not nearly enough.

The trainers go on to explain some of the downfalls of the Georgian troops here:

They inherited bad habits from the Red Army, whose soldiers wouldn't move without a direct order from a superior, and need to be taught to think on their own, Barta said. To make things more difficult, many soldiers "come from the hills of Georgia, and some of them sign for their paycheck with an X," he said.

And as far as communications equipment and weaponry, this has come out:

The Americans were training them to use the U.S. military's M-4 rifles, he said. But when fighting broke out, the Georgians went back to the Soviet AK-47, the only weapon they trusted. They appeared incapable of firing single shots, instead letting off bursts of automatic fire, which is wildly inaccurate and wastes ammunition, he said.
Another problem was communications: As soon as combat began, the army's communications network largely collapsed, he said, so troops conducted operations using regular cell phones. That left their communications easily accessible to Russian intelligence.

Now, I'm sure the Russians knew ahead of time that they would meet with this kind of novice and untrained expertise on the Georgian side and that is probably why the Russians moved so fast into the area. At the same time, I doubt that even with adequate training if the Georgians could have stood up to Russia but considering what the U.S. trainers are saying, it does explain the huge losses from the fighting.

US trainers say Georgian troops weren't ready

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - U.S. military trainers—the only American boots on the ground—say the Georgian soldiers they knew who were sent to battle the Russians had fighting spirit but were not ready for war.
The Georgians were "beginning to walk, but by no means were they running," said Army Capt. Jeff Barta, who helped train a Georgian brigade for peacekeeping service in Iraq. "If that was a U.S. brigade it would not have gone into combat."
Now on standby at the Sheraton Hotel, unarmed and in civilian clothes, six of the American trainers offered a glimpse at the 5-year-old U.S. mission and at the performance of the outnumbered and outgunned Georgian military in its defeat by Russia.
The Americans arrived for work Aug. 7 to unexpectedly find training was over for the unit they had been assigned to for three weeks, the 4th Brigade: The Georgian soldiers were sitting on their rucksacks and singing folk songs as an Orthodox priest walked among them chanting and waving incense.
Then buses and trucks took the troops off toward Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, where there had been sporadic clashes and shelling during the previous week. That night the Georgian army began an offensive trying to retake the Russian-supported region, and by the following morning hundreds of Russian tanks were rolling across the border.
"From what I've heard, a lot of the 4th Brigade was hit pretty hard," said Rachel Dejong, 24, a Navy medic from Richmond, Ind.
The Georgian company commander who was training alongside Barta was killed.
"Some of the soldiers seemed really grateful for the things we taught them," said Barta, a 31-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, but he acknowledged it was not nearly enough.

Russia: Georgia's Territorial Integrity Is A Dead Issue

Well, if you thought that Russia might pull out of Georgia, it appears you would be wrong. It appears the Russian Bear is going to spend the winter in Georgia, perhaps longer. Here's some details on the brief report out of Breitbart:

Russia's foreign minister says the question of Georgia's territorial integrity is a dead issue, a sign that Moscow could absorb two separatist regions in the wake of recent fighting.

Lavrov tells reporters, "One can forget about any talk about Georgia's territorial integrity."

Obviously, this is a good deal of conjecture on my part but if Russia decides to stay in Georgia and as the article states, absorbs the two disputed areas of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, it will become nearly impossible for Georgia to continue as a separate nation, in my view. Imagine what it would be like if the United States had another country suddenly take over California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Nevada? The U.S. could survive in that scenario but can you imagine the border disputes along those new borders? Can you imagine the trade nightmares, transportation issues and societal problems?

When you loook across the world, there are literally dozens of countries that have similar types of districts or provinces that are "disputed." And while those situations often are tense and violents, this is the first time in a long time that a neighboring country has decided to just roll on in and absorb the disputed lands.

What is the precedence going to mean for places like Kashmir? And how about Russia's area of Chechnya? Are the Russians open to Chechnya being absorbed?

Russia: Forget Georgian territorial integrity

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's foreign minister says the question of Georgia's territorial integrity is a dead issue, a sign that Moscow could absorb two separatist regions in the wake of recent fighting.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the statement Thursday simultaneously with the announcement that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was meeting in the Kremlin with the separatist regions' leaders.
Lavrov tells reporters, "One can forget about any talk about Georgia's territorial integrity." That's because he believes it's impossible to persuade South Ossetia and Abkhazia that they can be forced to be a part of Georgia.

Russia's Medvedev Halts Offensive In Georgia

Russian has finally decided to halt the assault on Georgia and its people today as Russian President Dmitri Medvedev made the following statement, here from Breitbart:

"The security of our peacekeepers and civilians has been restored," Medvedev said in a nationally televised statement. "The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant losses. Its military has been disorganized."

However, just as you might be taking that sigh of relief, look at this trailer that Medvedev added:

"If there are any emerging hotbeds of resistance or any aggressive actions, you should take steps to destroy them," he told his defense minister at a Kremlin meeting.

Hard to say what finally caused the Russians to pull the plug but there is the scheduled trip by French President Sarkozy to help broker a truce for the South Ossetian area.

I think perhaps the real reason is that it was becoming obvious that the Russians couldn't contain the media coverage of this one-sided aggression anymore and those pictures of Georgian civilians bloodied and killed were start a wave (finally) of world outrage.

But as always, the Russians continue to be defiant as they said this:

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow won't talk to President Mikhail Saakashvili and Saakashvili "better go."

I guess what the Russians are saying in all of this is that the next time there is an uprising in Chechnya, the Russians will just turn away and let it take its course, right?

Russia's Medvedev halts military action in Georgia

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to military action in Georgia Tuesday, saying it had punished Georgia and restored security for civilians and Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway South Ossetia region.
"The security of our peacekeepers and civilians has been restored," Medvedev said in a nationally televised statement. "The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant losses. Its military has been disorganized."
At the same time, Medvedev ordered the military to quell any signs of Georgian resistance.
"If there are any emerging hotbeds of resistance or any aggressive actions, you should take steps to destroy them," he told his defense minister at a Kremlin meeting.
Russia's foreign minister, meanwhile, said that Georgia's president must leave office and Georgian troops should stay out of South Ossetia region for good.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow won't talk to President Mikhail Saakashvili and Saakashvili "better go."
The Russian statements came as French President Nicolas Sarkozy was heading to Moscow to negotiate an EU-brokered truce for the fierce conflict over the breakaway region.
Georgia launched an offensive late Thursday to regain control over South Ossetia, which has run its own affairs since 1992 and developed close ties with Russia. Russia sent in troops that fought Georgian forces and launched air raids over Georgian territory.

Breaking: Russians Sink Georgian Missile Boat

Just saw this story go up here at YNET and it's absolutely devoid of any information other than the headline here but I'll post the story in its entirety:

Reports: Russia sinks Georgian ship

Russian news agencies say the Defense Ministry claims to have sunk a Georgian missile boat that was trying to attack Russian navy ships in the Black Sea.
The Defense Ministry refused to comment on the Sunday reports to The Associated Press and Georgian officials could not immediately be reached. (AP)

Now, this is all coming from the Russians so it is possible this "missile boat" might turn out to be some other Georgian vessel but this just shows the Russians are on the brink of being out of control in this situation.

We've already heard of the Ukranians threatening to block Russian trips from a return back to Russia so the whole situation is getting very dicey.

No word of any lost Georgian sailors from this sinking.

Georgian Troops Retreat From So. Ossetia, Ask For Truce

The world is watching the conflict between Georgia and Russia and it's like watching a boxing match between MiniMe and The Hulk. Georgian troops, out manned and overwhelmed by armor, air support and artillery have retreated from South Ossetia and are pleading for a truce. Here's some of the latest details from Breitbart:

Georgian troops retreated from the breakaway province of South Ossetia on Sunday and their government pressed for a truce, overwhelmed by Russian firepower as the conflict threatened to set off a wider war.
Russia deployed a naval squadron off the coast of another of Georgia's separatist regions, Abkhazia, and its jets bombed the outskirts of Tblisi, the Georgian capital.
Georgia's Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said he hoped the Georgian withdrawal would be a first step toward a cease-fire. "We communicated that message beforehand to the Russians through (U.S. Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice," he said.

I'm not going to detail the battles here today or how many casualties there are or who has done what in this conflict, since this is a huge mismatch. What I am more concerned about is what the Russians do at this point. Look at the Russian reaction to the retreat and withdrawl by Georgian forces:

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that Moscow now needs to verify the Georgian withdrawal. "We must check all that. We don't trust the Georgian side," he said.

That shows me that the Russians smell blood in the water and this is far from being over. It's like the Russians will now have to decide exactly what they want out of all of this. They can say they were only protecting their peacekeepers in South Ossetia but it now appears that the Russians know they can call the shots in this troubled area and one has to be suspicious that the Russians are going to settle some very old scores.

What the Russians don't realize is that it's been a helluva long time since they have been involved in an operation like this and they do not realize what the world is seeing in daily and hourly images. The Europeans, who the Russians depend on for a myriad of economic pacts and contracts, are watching the actions of the Russians and if Russia isn't careful, they could damage a major portion of their trade partners. Yes, this is a slippery slope and it will be interesting to see which fork in the road the Russians take - the fork that will allow them to settle a long time score with the Georgians and the West or the fork that ensures them retention of their western ties and economic well-being.

Georgian troops retreat from breakaway province

Georgia, whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight Friday, launching heavy rocket and artillery fire and air strikes that pounded the provincial capital, Tskhinvali.
In response, Russia, which has granted passports to most South Ossetians, launched overwhelming artillery shelling and air attacks on Georgian troops.
Russia has demanded that Georgia pull out its troops from South Ossetia as a condition to negotiate a cease-fire. It also urged Georgia to sign a pledge not to use force against South Ossetia as another condition for ending hostilities.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that Moscow now needs to verify the Georgian withdrawal. "We must check all that. We don't trust the Georgian side," he said.
On Sunday, Russian jets raided a plant on the eastern outskirts of Tbilisi that builds Su-25 ground jets. The attack damaged runways but caused no casualties, said Georgia's Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili.
"We heard a plane go over and then a big explosion," said Malkhaz Chachanidze, a 41-year old ceramics artist whose house is located just outside the fence of the factory, which has been running since the Soviet era. "It woke us up, everything shook."
The risk of the conflict setting off a wider war increased when Russian-supported separatists in another breakaway region of Georgia, Abkhazia, launched air and artillery strikes on Georgian troops to drive them out of a small part of the province they control. Fifteen U.N. military observers were told to evacuate.
Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and have built up ties with Moscow. Russia has granted its passports to most of their residents.
In yet another sign that the conflict could widen, Ukraine warned Russia on Sunday it could bar Russian navy ships from returning to their base in the Crimea because of their deployment to Georgia's coast.
President Bush called for an end to the Russian bombings and an immediate halt to the violence.
"The attacks are occurring in regions of Georgia far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia. They mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis," Bush said in a statement to reporters while attending the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Karasin said the ships were sent toward Abkhazia as a deterrent.
"The deployment is quite natural. We don't want a repeat of what happened in South Ossetia," he said at a news conference.
The foreign ministers of France and Finland were to arrive in Georgia Sunday to discuss ways to end the conflict.
Russian jets have been roaming Georgia's skies since Friday. They raided several air bases and bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility. The Russian warplanes also struck near the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline which carries Caspian crude to the West, but no supply interruptions have been reported.
Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili called it an "unprovoked brutal Russian invasion."
Jim Jeffrey, Bush's deputy national security adviser, warned "if the disproportionate and dangerous escalation on the Russian side continues, that this will have a significant long-term impact on U.S.-Russian relations."

David vs. Goliath: Georgia Declares State Of War With Russia

It appears that this weekend's focus won't be that of a Georgian greco-roman wrestler pitted against his Russian opponent but rather Russian tanks and fighter jets pitted against a tiny Georgian military. This breaking news here from CNN:

Georgia declared a state of war Saturday as fierce battles with Russia military over the breakaway region of South Ossetia entered their second day.

Russia has launched a full-scale military invasion of Georgia, President Mikhail Saakashvili said during a brief news conference Saturday afternoon.
"We are dealing with absolutely criminal and crazy acts of irresponsible and reckless decision makers, which is on the ground producing dramatic and tragic consequences," Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili compared the Russian invasion, which he called unprovoked, to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

While there have been numerous calls for a halt to the fighting, even from President Bush, this conflict appears to have gone out of control. And it is my observation that this is Russia's opportunity to vent its frustrations with the West on the nation of Georgia.

Now, even though this area of Georgia called South Ossetia has been a disputed area, we can't look past the point that the separatists there started this all with acts of aggression that killed a number of Georgians. What the world is waiting to see is if the Russians will stop this onslaught in South Ossetia or if the boundarines of their armed attacks fan out.

To say this is all a powderkeg is an understatement. The West is tied closely to Georgia and of course, the Russians are not only pissed off at the West for trying to tamper with its oil pipelines to Europe but also the missile defense systems being placed into eastern Europe. So, one could ask if the Russian bear is taking this opportunity to vent its frustrations on the West or simply trying to protect some of its interests in this area of South Ossetia.

Georgia declares state of war with Russia

President George W. Bush called for an immediate halt to the fighting saying the United States is "deeply concerned."
"We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a standown by all troops, and call for end to the Russian bombings and a return by the parties to the status quo of August the sixth," he said in a statement Saturday.
Russian paratroopers entered the capital of South Ossetia on Saturday as part of a military operation that Russia said was intended to force the Georgian side to cease fire.
Separatist-backed South Ossetian sources reported about 1,600 people have died and 90 have been wounded in the capital of Tskhinvali after two days of fighting, but Georgian officials said the figure was inflated. The Georgians said they didn't have their own death toll, but it would likely be closer to 100.
Inna Gagloyeva, the spokeswoman for the South Ossetian Information and Press Committee, told the Interfax news agency the capital was being "massively shelled" with artillery guns.
It was also unclear which side was in control of Tskhinvali on Saturday, with the Georgian side saying fighting still raged but the Russians saying they have "liberated" the city.
"Battalion task forces have fully liberated Tskhinvali of Georgian armed forces and started pushing Georgian units out of the area of responsibility of the peacekeeping forces," said General Vladimir Boldyrev, commander of the Russian Ground Forces, in an interview with Interfax.
Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, told a news conference that the paratroopers will "implement the operation of enforcing peace" on both sides.
Nogovitsyn also confirmed that Georgians had shot down two Russian aircraft.
Russia said the troops were also reinforcing the Russian peacekeepers already in South Ossetia.
"Our peacekeepers, along with reinforcement units, are currently conducting an operation to force the Georgian side to accept peace," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at the Kremlin, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency. "They are also responsible for protecting the population."
Interfax said 15 peacekeepers were killed in the Friday attack by Georgian troops. Russia has opened a criminal probe into their deaths, Interfax reported.
Georgia, a former Soviet Republic, is a pro-Western ally of the United States intent on asserting its authority over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which both have strong Russian-backed separatist movements.
Russia moved troops into South Ossetia early Friday after Georgia launched an operation in the breakaway region when its unilateral cease-fire was met with what it said was artillery fire from separatists that killed 10 people, including peacekeepers and civilians.

Georgia and Russia At The Brink Of War

Things are happening fast in Georgia and it does not look good. The Georgians are now claiming they have shot down two Russian aircraft and at the same time, columns of Russian tanks have entered Georgia territory. Here's some of the newest details at Times Online:

Georgia claimed today to have downed two Russian warplanes over its territory after the former Soviet neighbours came into direct conflict over the breakaway province of South Ossetia.
Tbilisi mobilised its army reserves and launched a major military offensive overnight to regain control over the province, raising fears of an all-out war that could draw in Russia.

But shortly afterwards, President Saakashvili announced the downing of the two warplanes, suggesting that the conflict had moved into a much more dangerous phase. The Georgian interior ministry had earlier accused Russian of launching a bombing raid injuring seven people.
A column of Russian tanks, trucks and troops was on its way through the neighbouring Russian province of North Ossetia towards South Ossetia, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

I look at this situation and I cannot help but think about the start of World War I. If you recall, World War I started between Austria-Hungary and Serbia and because of alliances and treaties involving so many countries, they all got pulled into that conflict that soon became a World War. And so, I look at this conflict in Georgia and one can't help but view the connections of Georgia with the West and NATO as a reason for American and European nations to come to the aid against Russia. Now, I'm not trying to be Chicken Little here or the boy that cried wolf, but if the Russians go all out into this conflict and unleash all they have here, I seriously doubt the West will let Georgia go down like a sacrificial lamb.

In a post this morning here, I just laid out how Israel is assisting Georgia - can you imagine a Russian attack killing Israeli advisors?

This situation, this raging battle has bad news written all over it and I'm not so sure the Russians have thought this out completely.

Georgia 'downs two Russian warplanes' as countries move to brink of war

Fighting raged around the city of Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, as Georgian troops backed by tanks and warplanes pounded separatist forces today. At least 15 people were reported to have been killed although the death toll was expected to rise.
Georgian officials said this afternoon that a three-hour ceasefire had been declared to allow civilians to leave Tskhinvali and an amnesty had been offered to the separatists.
But shortly afterwards, President Saakashvili announced the downing of the two warplanes, suggesting that the conflict had moved into a much more dangerous phase. The Georgian interior ministry had earlier accused Russian of launching a bombing raid injuring seven people.
A column of Russian tanks, trucks and troops was on its way through the neighbouring Russian province of North Ossetia towards South Ossetia, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
A senior Georgian security official said that heavy military equipment and armoured vehicles were entering South Ossetia through the Roki tunnel from Russia.
Mr Saakashvili, who has aligned his country more closely with the West and wants it to join Nato, told a news briefing in Tiblisi: "One hundred and fifty Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia. This is a clear intrusion on another country’s territory. We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight."
He added: "I must also tell you that Georgian forces have downed two Russian jet fighters over Georgia’s territory."
The flare-up presents Dmitri Medvedev, the new Russian President, with the first major crisis. Chairing a meeting of his security council in the Kremlin, he vowed that Moscow would protect its citizens.

Georgia Conflict On Verge Of Exploding - Israel Backing Georgia, Russians Threaten Military Response

The Russians are threatening Georgia with a "military response" ....? Let me see, doesn't this SHOW a military response? From the DEBKA report:

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin threatened a “military response.”
Georgia called up its military reserves after Russian warplanes bombed its new positions in the renegade province.

So Putin is threatening Russian military intervention AFTER his aircraft bomb Georgia? What a whack job.
I put this story up because I had not seen this Israeli link to Georgia's efforts before. The situation in Georgia has now reached powderkeg status as Russian troops have been mobilized - can you imagine what will happen if the Russians move full scale into Georgia? What will the U.S. or NATO or EU countries do? Here's some more details about the Israeli involvement:

DEBKAfile’s geopolitical experts note that on the surface level, the Russians are backing the separatists of S. Ossetia and neighboring Abkhazia as payback for the strengthening of American influence in Georgia. However, more immediately, the conflict has been sparked by the race for control over the pipelines carrying oil and gas out of the Caspian region.

DEBKAfile discloses Israel’s interest in the conflict from its exclusive military sources:
Jerusalem owns a strong interest in Caspian oil and gas pipelines reach the Turkish terminal port of Ceyhan, rather than the Russian network. Intense negotiations are afoot between Israel Turkey, Georgia, Turkmenistan and Azarbaijan for pipelines to reach Turkey and thence to Israel’s oil terminal at Ashkelon and on to its Red Sea port of Eilat. From there, supertankers can carry the gas and oil to the Far East through the Indian Ocean.
Aware of Moscow’s sensitivity on the oil question, Israel offered Russia a stake in the project but was rejected.
Last year, the Georgian president commissioned from private Israeli security firms several hundred military advisers, estimated at up to 1,000, to train the Georgian armed forces in commando, air, sea, armored and artillery combat tactics. They also offer instruction on military intelligence and security for the central regime. Tbilisi also purchased weapons, intelligence and electronic warfare systems from Israel.

There are many reasons why the Russians have stuck their noses into this conflict but the main reason is greed. The only thing that has kept the Russians afloat economically the past several years is their oil and their pipeline to Europe and they aren't about to allow any "diversion" of that. The scary part of this is what could blow up if Russian troops literally are engaging Georgian troops face to face - I can't imagine the West leaving Georgia alone to battle the Russian bear.

Israel backs Georgia in Caspian Oil Pipeline Battle with Russia

Georgian tanks and infantry, aided by Israeli military advisers, captured the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, early Friday, Aug. 8, bringing the Georgian-Russian conflict over the province to a military climax.
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin threatened a “military response.”
Georgia called up its military reserves after Russian warplanes bombed its new positions in the renegade province.
In Moscow’s first response to the fall of Tskhinvali, president Dimitry Medvedev ordered the Russian army to prepare for a national emergency after calling the UN Security Council into emergency session early Friday.
Reinforcements were rushed to the Russian “peacekeeping force” present in the region to support the separatists.
Georgian tanks entered the capital after heavy overnight heavy aerial strikes, in which dozens of people were killed.
Lado Gurgenidze, Georgia's prime minister, said on Friday that Georgia will continue its military operation in South Ossetia until a "durable peace" is reached. "As soon as a durable peace takes hold we need to move forward with dialogue and peaceful negotiations."
DEBKAfile’s geopolitical experts note that on the surface level, the Russians are backing the separatists of S. Ossetia and neighboring Abkhazia as payback for the strengthening of American influence in Georgia. However, more immediately, the conflict has been sparked by the race for control over the pipelines carrying oil and gas out of the Caspian region.
The Russians may just bear with the pro-US Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili’s ambition to bring his country into NATO. But they draw a heavy line against his plans and those of Western oil companies, including Israeli firms, to route the oil routes from Azerbaijan and the gas lines from Turkmenistan, which transit Georgia, through Turkey instead of hooking them up to Russian pipelines.
Saakashvili need only back away from this plan for Moscow to ditch the two provinces’ revolt against Tbilisi. As long as he sticks to his guns, South Ossetia and Abkhazia will wage separatist wars.