Posted by
Gray Ghost on Friday, August 08, 2008 2:25:47 PM
Parts of Russia's 58th Army (including 150 tanks and armored vehicles) are moving towards the capital of South Ossetia. This Russian attack is in response to the actions of Georgian troops who are attempting to crush separatist forces in this province.
Georgia's president says that Georgia is calling home its troops from Iraq amid the heavy fighting in South Ossetia. Georgia has 2,000 troops serving with the coalition forces in Iraq. (This makes it the third-largest contributor after the United States and Britain.) Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told reporters the troops in Iraq would be recalled to Georgia. "One brigade of Georgian forces is in Iraq and we are calling it home tomorrow," Saakashvili said in the interview.
The area is of strategic importance, largely because of the BTC oil pipeline, which runs through central Georgia just south of South Ossetia. The pipeline pumps around 1% of global crude supplies from the Caspian to the Turkish port of Ceyhan for export to Western Europe. However, this pipeline is already closed because of an attack in Turkey by the Kurdish separatist organisation "PKK".
It would appear that the "Russian Bear" is flexing its "muscles". Georgia has been trying to become a part of NATO, much to Russia's displeasure. But this fighting could easily esculate into a major war.
(I am also tempted to believe that Russia's actions are part of a larger plan conceived by Russia and Iran.)