Signs of Ethnic Attacks in Georgia Conflict

Looters hauled goods through an ethnic Georgian neighborhood along the road to Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia.

From New York Times:

TBILISI, Georgia — As the conflict between Russia and Georgia enters its second week, there is growing evidence of looting and “ethnic cleansing” in a number of villages throughout the area of conflict.

The attacks — some witnessed by reporters or documented by a human rights group — include stealing, the burning of villages and possibly even killings. Some are ethnically motivated, while at least some of the looting appears to be the work of profiteers in areas from which the authorities have fled.

The identities of the attackers vary, but a pattern of violence by ethnic Ossetians against ethnic Georgians is emerging and has been confirmed by some Russian authorities. “Now Ossetians are running around and killing poor Georgians in their enclaves,” said Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov, the commander in charge of the city of Gori, occupied by the Russians.

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My Comment: This makes Russia look bad. The fact that Russian Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov agrees with the New York Times assessment tells me that Russian authorities are aware that continuation of reprisals by South Ossetian irregular militias will tarnish the public image of the Russian campaign campaign in Georgia.

Stories like this are examples that make their case even weaker.