A house on fire is seen in the ethnic Georgian village of Redvi, in Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. Russian forces and their armed allies have driven all Georgians out of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and are now ethnically cleansing other areas of Georgia, a senior Georgian official charged Thursday. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) Russia's Cruel Intention -- The Guardian
In South Ossetia, I witnessed the worst ethnic cleansing since the war in the Balkans
After three weeks in Georgia reporting on the war and its aftermath, I find one conversation sticks with me. I had arrived in Karaleti, a Georgian village north of Gori. I had gone there with a group of foreign journalists in a Russian army truck; our ultimate destination was Tskhinvali, in South Ossetia. Several houses along the main road had been burned down; an abandoned Lada lay in a ditch; someone had looted the local school.
Refugees from Karaleti and nearby villages gave the same account: South Ossetian militias had swept in on August 12, killing, burning, stealing and kidnapping. Sasha, our Kremlin minder, however, had a different explanation. "Georgian special commandos burned the houses," he told us. I demurred, pointing out that it was unlikely Georgian special commandos would have burned down Georgian villages north of Tskhinvali, deep inside rebel-held South Ossetia. Sasha's face grew dark; he wasn't used to contradiction. "Those houses suffered from a gas or electricity leak," he answered majestically.
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More News On Ethnic Cleansing in Georgia
Georgia: S. Ossetia Ethnic Cleansing Nearly Done -- CBS News
Russia's buffer zone creates ghost villages in Georgia -- Times Online
For Thousands of Refugees From the Conflict in Georgia, the Fear Lingers -- Blue Ridge
Scars linger for Georgian refugees -- International Herald Tribune
'Ethnic cleansing continues' -- News 24
Georgia: Ethnic cleansing taking place in S. Ossetia -- USA Today
Ethnic cleansing in Georgia -- Macleans
South Ossetian refugees to be checked on return -- International Herald Tribune
My Comment: The most under-reported story in the media this week.