Armed Units Of Abkhazia Capture Strategic Height In Kodori Gorge

Abkhaz armed units have established full control of strategic height 1036.4 in the Kodori Gorge, the RIA Novosti correspondent was told by telephone on Wednesday by Garry Kupalba, deputy defence minister of the Republic of Abkhazia which wants to obtain independence from Georgia. According to Kupalba, the main part of the Georgian and Chechen gunmen have left the zone controlled by the Abkhaz authorities, but are currently on Georgia's territory in the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge. The deputy defence minister also said that according to the information received on Wednesday morning, during the mopping up operation in the territory earlier controlled by the gunmen, there were clashes and exchanges of fire with the remaining small groups of terrorists in some places.