Georgia is Preparing for Another Operation in Pankisi

A draft plan for measures aimed at strengthening law and order in the Pankisi Gorge was presented to the session of the National Security Council which was held on Friday in Tbilisi.

Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs Koba Narchemashvili told reporters that the coming operation in the Pankisi Gorge would be of a "preventive character." According to him, the operation will start in the spring and will last till it will be necessary.

Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Irakly Menagarishvili underscored that in this operation in the Pankisi Gorge, just as in the previous one, only Georgian armed structures will take part. But, he said, the Georgian secret services would closely cooperate with the secret services of Russia, the United States and a number of other countries.

According to the data of the armed structures, it is supposed that during this operation the checkpoints of the troops of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Pankisi Gorge, established there in the summer last year, will be enhanced.

The Pankisi Gorge is a territory of Georgia bordering on Chechnya. As a result of the anti-terrorist activity of the Russian troops, many Chechen militants crossed the border and found refuge in the Pankisi Gorge from where they continued terrorist attacks on Russian territory. Last year, the Georgian law enforcers conducted an operation for disarming the bandit units but it was not brought to the end.