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Rumsfeld accompanied by Georgian Minister of Defense, General Lieutenant David Tevzadze, in Tbilisi. |
TBILISI,
Georgia, Feb. 27 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Washington opened a new
front in its so-called "war on terrorism" in Georgia Wednesday, while
Russians are deeply unhappy, suspecting such a move is aimed at reducing their
country's influence, news agencies reported.
The
United States sent Wednesday, February 27, an advance party of military
"experts" to Georgia, alleging their aim is to help flush out Al-Qaeda
fighters reportedly holed up in a remote mountain gorge on the Chechen border,
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Georgian
deputy state security minister Irakly Alasania said that five U.S. military
experts had arrived in Tbilisi to advise local forces in the fight against
terrorism.
Alasania
said a larger U.S. military contingent would arrive in August, but denied
reports that American Special Forces were gearing up to conduct so-called
anti-terrorist operations alongside Georgian troops.
"U.S.
military experts have arrived in Georgia to train the Georgian military to fight
against terrorism," Alasania told state television.
"There
is no question of a joint operation with another country. We will use only our
forces," he added.
However,
the U.S. forces will have the right to act in self-defense, said a Pentagon
spokesman.
But
Russia, which has traditionally regarded Georgia as in its sphere of influence,
has criticized the U.S. involvement, according to BBC’s online news service.
The
U.S. and Russia both believe that Al-Qaeda suspects may be hiding in the gorge
area, where fighters operating in Chechnya are also believed to be based.
Russians,
however, are deeply unhappy at the prospect of U.S. involvement, suspecting such
co-operation is aimed at reducing their country's influence.
"We
think it could further aggravate the situation in the region which is difficult
as it is. That is our position and Washington is well aware of it," Russian
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told the ORT public television.
It
is worth mentioning that Georgia has been trying to reduce Russian influence
over its affairs, sparking an angry war of words between the two countries over
recent months.
The
U.S. troops will provide Georgian soldiers with the kind of training, advice and
equipment the U.S. military is currently giving the Philippine army in its war
against the Abu-Sayyaf group, a CBS News report said.
U.S.
officials claim that suspected members of Osama bin-Laden's Al-Qaeda network are
fighting in Chechnya, and that some Chechen fighters have been trained at
Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
The
exact scale of the U.S. involvement remains unclear.
Several
U.S. media outlets, quoting military officials, have reported that up to 200
Special Forces could be sent in, but this has not been confirmed by either the
U.S. or Georgia.
