Russia's War Against The Islamic State Is Speading Into The Caucasus

Image from the BBC

RT: 11 militants from ISIS-linked gang killed in anti-terror op in Russia’s North Caucasus

Russian special forces have killed 11 militants from a gang that swore allegiance to Islamic State, according to National Counter-Terrorist Committee. The counter-terrorist operation is continuing in a mountainous region near the city of Nalchik in Russia’s North Caucasus.

The firefight between police and the militants started on early Sunday morning in woodland adjacent to Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, where counter-terrorist operation was announced on Saturday. A unit searching a territory near the city spotted a group of militants in a dug-out.

WNU Editor: For as long as I have can remember, the Soviet Union (and now Russia) has always had a radical Islamic insurgency in the Caucasus. But I cannot help but sense that this time it is different .... that the Islamic State (if not stopped) will bring war and conflict in the Caucasus that has not been seen since the Chechen wars of the 1990s.

More News On Today's Anti-Terrorism Operation Against Islamic State Militants In The North Caucasus of Russia

Eleven militants killed in security sweep in North Caucasus - anti-terror committee -- TASS
Islamic State member group neutralized in Nalchik - National Anti-terrorist Committee -- TASS
Russia says kills 11 militants who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State -- Reuters
Russia says 11 IS-linked fighters killed in North Caucasus -- AFP
Russia: 11 Allied With IS Group Killed in North Caucasus -- NYT/AP
IS-Linked Militants 'Neutralised' In Russia -- SKY News
Eleven Daesh suspects killed in Russia -- Al Bawaba

Russia`s War Against Islamic Radicals In The Caucasus Is Heating Up

UPI: Russia says security forces kill 14 Islamists in North Caucasus

Jihadis from the North Caucasus region have pledged allegiance to Islamic State in recent months, making their way to fight in Syria and Iraq.

MOSCOW, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Russia's National Antiterror Committee (NAK) said security forces killed eight Islamic State militants Sunday, and six other Islamist rebels on Monday. Both incidents occurred in the Northern Caucasus region.

"According to information available to the security services, the militants killed in [Sunday's] operation had recently pledged allegiance and became members of the Islamic State (IS), an international terrorist organization," NAK said in a statement, reported Russia Today.

"All of them were complicit in a number of crimes of a terrorist nature, including the killings of law enforcement officers and the extortion of money from entrepreneurs." Sunday's incident took place in the republic of Ingushetia, while Monday's violence took place in the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, another mountainous region in the North Caucasus region, according to news reports.

WNU Editor: Islamic radicalism has been a problem in the Caucasus for as long as I can remember .... but with the conflicts in the Middle East becoming entrenched and a breeding ground for radical Jihad, i suspect that many returning fighters from Chechnya, Dagestan, etc. are only going to continue the fight .... but this time against Russian security forces. On a side note ... this is not going to work .... Russia launches hotline to prevent people from joining IS (Business Standard).

More News On Russian Security Forces Killing Islamic State Militants In Recent Caucasus Operations

Russia says security forces kill 14 Islamist militants -- Reuters
Russian security forces kill 14 people suspected of 'international terrorism' in North Caucasus -- Ukraine Today
8 ISIS supporters killed in N. Caucasus special op -- RT
Russian Security Forces Kill 8 Suspected ISIL Militants in North Caucasus -- Sputnik
Russia 'kills eight "Islamic State" militants' close to Chechnya -- Deutsche Welle

Russia Cracks Down In The Caucasus Months Before The Winter Olympics

A Russian Region Neither at War Nor at Peace, but Facing a Crackdown -- New York Times

MAKHACHKALA, Russia — The race lasted only a few seconds and ended with the sound of a gunshot. Shamil Abdulayev, who was 24 years old at the time, had tried to run away from a group of men he knew were bent on abducting him. They wore ski masks and traveled in a white Lada sedan with tinted windows.

“My boy was wounded in the leg, and witnesses said they hit him on the head with a rifle butt, put handcuffs on him and threw him in the car,” Patimat Abdulkadyrova, his mother, said of the episode this summer. The car drove away, disappearing into the city traffic together with Mr. Abdulayev.

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, are still four months away, but residents of this city, the capital of Dagestan, say they have been feeling the effects for months. The Russian authorities, determined not to have the festivities marred by a terrorist attack, are clamping down on the seething North Caucasus region — which lies uncomfortably close to the Olympic city — picking up people suspected of being militants and detaining them without charges, human rights activists say.

Read more ....

My Comment: Expect this crackdown to escalate even further as the Olympics opening ceremonies at Sochi come closer with each passing day.

A Look At The War That Russia Is Fighting That No One Is Noticing

The Russians Are Waging A Counter-Insurgency Battle That No One Is Talking About -- Business Insider/Central Eurasia Standard

While everyone in the States was busy thinking about/ignoring the debates, a Russian Anti-Terrorism force launched an operation that resulted in 49 militants killed and 219 people taken into custody.

As Central Eurasia Standard has previously reported, the Northern Caucasus are seething. Militants have attacked police stations, checkpoints, hospitals, and energy infrastructure. Suicide bombs are frequently detonated, and the conflict is spilling over into previously stable regions.

Read more ...

My Comment: This war .... and it is a war .... is (fortunately) being covered extensively within Russia itself (through new media). But aside from this coverage .... it is true .... no one else is paying attention to what has increasingly become a bloody and violent insurgency. My prediction .... international news coverage of this conflict will only start when the Sochi Winter Olympics are a few months away from opening .... especially since Muslim rebels have already stated that these Olympics will be a prime target.

Heavy Fighting Reported In Russia's Caucasus

Russian Forces Kill 49 Militants In North Caucasus -- The Guardian

Russia's top anti-terrorism agency announces deaths days after Vladimir Putin led meeting of country's security council.

Russian security forces have killed 49 militants in an operation across the North Caucasus region, where rebels are fighting to carve out an Islamic state, Russia's top anti-terrorism body has said.

The agency, which serves as a mouthpiece for law enforcement agencies operating in the region, gave no time period for the operation, which was launched days after the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, led a meeting of the country's security council.

Putin has pushed the North Caucasus insurgency, rooted in two separatist wars in Chechnya, back to the forefront of national politics.

Read more ....

More News On Reports Of Heavy Fighting In Russia's Caucasus Region

49 militants killed in sweeping Russian anti-terror op (VIDEO)-- RT
Russian Forces Kill 49 Rebels in North Caucasus Strike -- New York Times
Russia kills 49 Islamist militants in North Caucasus -- The Telegraph
Russia: Dozens of militants killed in North Caucasus region -- Euronews
49 militants killed by Russia in Caucasus operation, says state anti-terror agency -- NBC/Reuters
Russia: Security Forces Kill 49 Militants in North Caucasus Operation -- Voice of America
Russia says fighters killed in North Caucasus -- Al Jazeera
Russian forces take few prisoners in security sweep -- Deutsche Welle

Russia's Bloody Conflict Against Radical Islamists In The Caucasus Has Claimed Hundreds Of Lives In The Past Few Months

Vladimir Putin. © RIA Novosti. Alexey Druzhinin

Hundreds Of Terrorists Killed In Recent Months - Putin -- RIA Novosti

Russian police and interior troops have killed more than 300 militants, including 43 warlords, in North Caucasus in the past few months, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

“In the past several months, 479 militants were detained, and 313 terrorists, who refused to surrender, were killed, including 43 leaders,” Putin told a meeting on ways to fight terrorism in Russia.

Read more ....

More News On Russian President Putin's Remarks On The Conflict In The Caucasus

Putin Says 313 Terrorists 'Eliminated' In Recent Months -- Radio Free Europe
Putin: Russia must be unyielding against terrorists -- RT
Putin demands tighter crackdown on terrorists -- Voice of Russia
Putin urges Russian intelligence, police to stamp out terror, prevent attacks at 2014 Olympics -- Washington Post/AP

Russia's Conflict With Radical Islam is Increasing

Terrorists Are Killing Hundreds Of Russians And The Kremlin Has No Idea What To Do -- Business Insider

The past month has brought a surge in reporting on conflicts, skirmishes and violence in the Caucasus region of southern Russia.

These are not only insurgencies against Russia, but also a hostage situation in Georgia. As always, reports are inconclusive and questions always remain about motivation and who exactly is fighting whom.

Much of the conflict appears to originate in Dagestan, which is the seat of an extremely violent insurgency. Skirmishes appear to be spilling into Georgia, and worryingly for Putin, into the heartland of Russia.

Read more ....

My Comment: On my last trip to Russia I was stunned by the visceral hatred that many Russians feel towards those who are from the Caucasus .... specifically against those from Muslim provinces. This is becoming Putin's (and Russia's) number one national security problem, and it would not surprise me if in the coming months extreme police and military measures will be used in suppressing this conflict.

Heavy Fighting Reported In Russia's Caucasus

At Least 24 Killed In Russian Caucasus Fighting -- Yahoo News/Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Seventeen police and at least seven insurgents were killed in four days of fighting on the border between the Chechnya and Dagestan provinces in Russia's North Caucasus, police said Saturday.

The toll among government forces was the biggest in months in the region along Russia's southern border, where it faces an Islamist insurgency more than a decade after driving separatists from power in a war in Chechnya.

Read more ....

More News On Heavy Fighting In Russia's Caucasus

Police death toll rises in volatile Russian Caucasus -- Deutsche Welle
Russia police death toll in rebel operation now 17 -- AP
At least 24 killed in Russian Caucasus fighting -- YNet News
20 rebels, 11 police killed in Russia’s Caucasus -- Arab News
Renewed fighting in North Caucasus kills 24 -- Euro News
LEAD: Many casualties reported in heavy Russian Caucasus fighting Eds: Adds insurgent deaths, quotes -- Europe Online Magazine

Russian Military Strike Against Terrorist Camp In Caucasus Kills 17

17 Militants Killed In Strike On Terrorist Camp In Russian North Caucasus -- RIA Novosti

Seventeen militants were killed on Monday in combined air and ground strikes on a terrorist camp in Russia's North Caucasus region, a spokesman for the National Anti-Terrorist Committee said.

The strikes were part of an ongoing operation to capture terrorists thought to be behind a suicide bombing at Moscow's busiest airport in January that left 37 people dead.

Read more ....

More News On The War In The Caucasus

Russian 'Precision Air Strike' Kills 17 North Caucasus Rebels -- Radio Free Europe
Russia 'kills 17 North Caucasus militants' -- BBC
Russia kills 17 Caucasus rebels in precision air strike -- AFP
Russia kills 17 Caucasus rebels in precision air strike -- Radio Netherlands
Clashes in Russia's Caucasus kill 20-reports -- Reuters
2 law enforcement officers shot and killed in Russia's restive province of Dagestan -- Canadian Press
Gunmen kill serviceman in Russian Caucasus: police -- Asia One/AFP
Chechnya's President Says Insurgency Dying Down -- Voice of America
Russia: Colonial Rule Of North Caucasus Approaching End, Analyst Says – Analysis -- Eurasia Review

Russia's Growing Insurgency In The Caucasus

Insurgency In Russia's Caucasus A Growing Threat -- Washington Post

MAKHACHKALA, Russia -- A police officer stopped at a traffic light in Dagestan's capital is gunned down from an adjacent car. A driver blows himself up at a checkpoint. The mayor has survived 15 assassination attempts.

Attacks on authorities take place almost daily in Dagestan, the largest and most violent of Russia's mostly Muslim provinces in the North Caucasus, a breeding ground for terror spreading all the way to Moscow.

Read more ....

My Comment: Russians are now resigned to the idea that this conflict will last for years .... if not decades. And like the West's war against Islamic extremist organizations like Al Qaeda .... we have no choice but to be in it for the long haul.

16 Killed And 130 Wounded In Market Bomb Attack In Russia

Medvedev Vows To Destroy Vladikavkaz Bombing Masterminds -- RIA Novosti

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday police are to spare nothing to track down and destroy those responsible for the terrorist attack in the southern Russian city of Vladikavkaz.

At least 16 people were killed and 98 injured in a suicide car bombing in Vladikavkaz, the capital of the country's North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia. Many injured are in critical condition.

The blast occurred near the city's central market around midday, police said.

Read more ....

More News On The Market Terror Attack In Vladikavkaz

Suicide attack in Russia kills 15, wounds over 130 -- Yahoo News/AP
Suicide bomber kills 15 at Russian Caucasus market -- Yahoo News/AFP
Car bomb kills 15 at market in Russia's Caucasus -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Russian Market Explosion Kills at Least 15 -- Voice of America
Big toll in Russian market bomb -- BBC
Suicide bomber kills at least 15 in market -- UPI
Russian market hit by deadly car bomb -- The Guardian
Putin Calls on Muslims to Battle Terror After Blast Kills 15 -- Bloomberg
Putin strongly condemns deadly terrorist attack in Russia -- Xinhuanet
Blast in Vladikavkaz designed to promote enmity – Putin -- RT
Medvedev orders to seize or destroy organizers of Vladikavkaz attack -- RT

Dagestan Suicide Bombing Kills 5 Russian Soldiers

Dagestan Suicide Bombing Targets Russian Military -- Christian Science Monitor

A Dagestan suicide bombing that struck a Russian military base Sunday underscored the difficulties Moscow faces in stamping out violence in the restive republic.

A suicide bomber in Russia’s restive republic of Dagestan blew up a car bomb on a military installation Sunday, killing at least three Russian soldiers and wounding at least 32.

It is only the latest attack in the North Caucasus, where Russia has been battling a growing insurgency for years that has challenged the legacy of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who as president vowed to wipe out the unrest (See map of region here).

Read more ....

More News On The Conflict In Dagestan

5 Russian Soldiers Killed in Dagestan Suicide Bombing -- Voice of America
Bomb Kills Five Soldiers in Russia's Caucasus -- Wall Street Journal
Five killed, scores hurt in Dagestan suicide bombing -- The Province/AFP
At Least Three Killed, Dozens Injured In Daghestan Suicide Bombing -- Radio Free Europe
Dagestan car bombing kills five Russian soldiers -- BBC

Car Bomb Injures Dagestan Regional-Government Minister, Kills His Driver -- Bloomberg
In Dagestan, a bomb wounds a government minister -- CNN
Daghestan Car Bomb Wounds Official, Kills Driver -- Radio Free Europe

Buinaksk bombing shows militants still have powers - Dagestan's president -- RIA Novosti
Russia's defense minister arrives in Dagestan -- RIA Novosti
Medvedev orders help for those affected in N. Caucasus suicide bombing -- RIA Novosti

Chechnya And Its Neighbors Suffer A Relapse

On Aug. 17, a blast at the police headquarters in Nazran, the capital of Ingushetia, killed 25 people and wounded 280. A period of calm has ended in Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan. Kazbek Vakhayev/European Pressphoto Agency

From The New York Times:

MOSCOW — Just a year ago, Russian authorities were so proud of their success at bringing order to the north Caucasus that they made Chechnya a stop for the Valdai Discussion Club, the handpicked group of Western analysts flown to Russia every year to hobnob with top officials.

Two busloads of writers and academics were shuttled to the gigantic mosque built by President Ramzan A. Kadyrov in memory of his father, granted a wide-ranging interview with Mr. Kadyrov and allowed to stroll down the repaved, repainted and rebuilt streets of Grozny, the Chechen capital. Even the skeptics among them left impressed: calm, it seemed, had returned to Russia’s crucible of violence.

Read more ....

My Comment: When the Russian - Georgian war broke out last year, Russian government pundits were saying that this was necessary to keep the peace in the Caucasus. That Georgia's actions in the provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia was unsettling peace and stability, and that firm military action was necessary.

This strategy has not worked, and as predicted the security situation is rapidly deteriorating.

This is still a low intensity conflict, but the trend is starting to worry many in Moscow.

With Russia being the host to the Winter Olympics at Sochi in 2014 .... a site that is on the border of the Caucasus region .... any escalation in the conflict will directly impact the security of the Olympics. A prospect that I am sure many officials do not want to ponder on.

Attacks In The Caucasus Is Starting To Worry Moscow

Russia Car Bomb Attack 'Kills 19' -- AFP

NAZRAN, Russia — A truck packed with explosives rammed through the gates of a police compound in southern Russia on Monday and exploded in an attack that killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens, officials said.

The attack in the city of Nazran, the main city in Ingushetia, occurred as police officers lined up for roll call at the start of their morning shift. It killed and wounded police officers in the compound and local residents in homes nearby, officials said.

Read more ....

More News On The Caucasus

Suicide truck bomb kills at least 20 in Russia -- Yahoo News/AP
Truck Bomb in Russia's Caucasus Kills 18 -- Voice of America
Truck bomb kills 19 at Ingushetia police station -- L.A. Times
19 killed by bombing in Russia's Ingushetia -- CNN
A glance at other recent attacks in Ingushetia -- AP

Previous Post: Fear Stalks Caucasus Amid Hidden War

Georgia/Russia War News Updates -- Russia Ceases All Military Actions In Georgia

Russian soldiers on top of an APC pass by a burning house on the way to Tskhinvali, capital of Georgian breakaway enclave of South Ossetia on Monday, Aug. 11, 2008. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a halt to military action in Georgia on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.
(AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)

Russian President Medvedev Says Russia Is Ready To Begin
Peace Talks With Georgia -- LA Times

He also orders a halt to his country's ongoing military action even as it continued to bomb sites deep in the country and apparently continued its advance.

TBILISI, Georgia -- Russia's president today said his country was ready to begin peace talks with Georgia to end a five-day conflict over pro-Russian separatist-minded enclaves along the two nations' Caucasus region border.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, today also ordered a halt to his country's ongoing military action against Western-backed Georgia even as it continued to bomb sites deep in the country and apparently continue its advance, according to media reports.

Read more ....

NEWS

Russia endorses plan to leave breakaway region -- Yahoo News/AP
Russia urges Georgia to pledge not to use force -- Yahoo News/AP
Georgia to declare breakaway regions occupied -- Yahoo News/AP
Russia orders halt to war, Georgia skeptical -- Reuters
Georgia says bombings continue after Russian order -- Yahoo News/AP
Medvedev halts Russian attacks in Georgia -- MSNBC
Russia orders halt to Georgia military action but fighting continues -- International Herald Tribune
Georgia Says Russia Still Bombing Despite 'Halt' -- FOX News
Georgia defiant after Russian ceasefire -- Financial Times
Georgia says Russia still attacking -- CNN
Defiant Russia Halts Operations In Georgia -- CBS
Sarkozy Arrives in Moscow to Mediate Crisis -- ABC News
Russia 'ends Georgia operation' -- BBC News
Attacks on Georgia continue despite Russian president's calls to halt -- The Guardian
Russia orders end to operation after bombing of media centre -- Times Online
Russia orders halt to war in Georgia -- The Independent
Russian president Dimitry Medvedev orders end to conflict in Georgia -- The Telegraph
Enter Sarkozy the peacemaker -- The Guardian
Moscow accused of planning invasion but remains deaf to critics -- The Guardian
'I got my children out minutes before the bombs fell' -- the Guardian
Exodus gathers pace as the funerals begin -- The Guardian
Coverage Of the Georgian/Russian war -- The Guardian
Russia 'ends Georgia operation' as Britons are evacuated from under-siege capital -- The Daily Mail
Pensioners burned alive in a church and a baby stabbed to death - just some of the horrific stories from Georgia -- The Daily Mail
Russia halts military action in Georgia -- Washington Times
Russia orders halt to military action in Georgia -- U.S. News And World Report
Russia Halts Military Action -- Time Magazine
Georgia says bombings continue after Russian order -- Newsweek
For Georgia's president, a rebuke in the boom of artillery -- International Herald Tribune
Dutch journalist killed in Russian bombing of Gori -- International Herald Tribune
Calling shots, Putin salves old wounds -- International Herald Tribune
Firsthand Accounts from the Russia-Georgia Conflict -- FOX News
Georgia soldiers, civilians break down on road to battle -- LA Times
Civilian emergency hits Georgia -- BBC News
Anxiety Hovers Over Tbilisi -- Washington Post
BP shuts pipelines on fears over Georgia -- Financial Times
Georgia conflict 'a threat to strategic energy supplies' -- Yahoo News
Georgian military officials and civilians ask why the West hasn't intervened as Russia moves in. -- Newsweek
U.S. servers for Georgia sites -- L.A. Times
Map: the Russia-Georgia conflict (pdf) -- The Guardian

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

Moscow's Sinister Brilliance - Victor Davis Hanson, National Review Online
A Path to Peace in the Caucasus - Mikhail Gorbachev, Washington Post
Russia's Power Play: Reality Intrudes - George Will, Houston Chronicle
Conflict Offers Glimpse at New World Order - Gerald Seib, Wall St. Journal
Russia is Back as a Grand Adversary - Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic
Terror tactics -- The Guardian
What Georgia means for Europe -- The Guardian
Vladimir Putin capitalises on US ambivalence -- Times Online
Beleaguered president: Gambler who risked his country and links with West -- The Independent
COMMENTARY: Why puppetmaster Putin is more dangerous than ever -- The Daily Mail
Russia, and Putin, Assert Authority -- New York Times
Vladimir Bonaparte -- Wall Street Journal
INSTANT VIEW - Russian president orders stop to Georgia ops -- Reuters
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Winners and losers in S.Ossetia crisis -- Reuters
U.S. has few options in conflict -- Reuters
U.S. can't do much to stop Russia -- MSNBC
The Danger Of Appeasing Russia -- Newsweek
Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili's 'calculated gamble' -- LA Times
U.S. has few military options in Russia response -- L.A. Times
Georgia clash imperils Europe's fuel flow -- Washington Times
More on Georgia -- Time Magazine
Russia buoyed by weakened Georgia -- BBC News

BLOGS

Live Blogging On the War -- The Guardian Blog
Can the Caucasus flames be controlled? -- Global News Blog (Reuters)
Russia Orders Halt To Fighting In Georgia -- Huffington Post
The Lights Stay On In Georgia? -- Blackfive
Russia calls a halt -- Belmont Club
Russia has stopped its invasion in Georgia. But at what price? -- Transatlantic
Russia Reveals Its Desire to Replace Georgian President Saakahvili ...Bush Responds -- Gateway Pundit
Diplomatic Licence: Saving Saakashvili -- Indy Blogs (the Independent)
Another Front in the War on Georgia (Cyberwar) -- Know It All
Estonia sending cyber defense experts to Georgia -- Net Work World
An Examination Of the New York Times Coverage Of The Georgian/Russian War -- Kenneth Anderson On Law Of War

VIDEOS

Russia Moves Further Into Georgia -- New York Times

Reporting On the Georgian/Russian War -- Financial Times

News on Georgia -- ABC News

MSNBC


CNN


Russia Today (Yesterday's Broadcast)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

South Ossetia: factbox -- The Telegraph
The tussle for South Ossetia -- The Guardian
Timeline: South Ossetia -- The Guardian
Q & A: Behind the battle for South Ossetia -- MSNBC
Q&A: Violence in South Ossetia -- BBC News
Timeline: Key Events in Russian-Georgian Relations - Associated Press
How Russian and Georgian Forces Stack Up - Reuters
Factbox: International Reaction to South Ossetia Conflict - Reuters
Georgia - CIA World Factbook
Russia - CIA World Factbook
Georgia - BBC Country Page
Russia - BBC Country Page
South Ossetia - New York Times background and related news
South Ossetia - BBC background

War In The Caucasus -- Georgia Pulls Out Of Ossetia As Second Front Opens In Abkhazia (Update #6)

Abkhazians aim a heavy multiple rocket launcher at a border of Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia, in this image made from television Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008. Russia expanded its bombing blitz Sunday against tiny neighbor Georgia, a U.S. ally, targeting the country's capital for the first time. Heavy Russian shelling also forced Georgian troops to pull out of the capital of the contested province of South Ossetia. (AP Photo/RTR Russian Channel)

Georgian troops retreat from breakaway province -- Yahoo News/AP

GORI, Georgia - Georgian troops retreated from the breakaway province of South Ossetia on Sunday and their government pressed for a truce, overwhelmed by Russian firepower as the conflict threatened to set off a wider war.

Russia deployed a naval squadron off the coast of another of Georgia's separatist regions, Abkhazia, and its jets bombed the outskirts of Tblisi, the Georgian capital.

Georgia's Foreign Ministry said its soldiers were observing a cease-fire on orders of the president and declared the move in a note handed over to Russia's envoy to Tbilisi.

"Georgia expresses its readiness to immediately start negotiations with the Russian Federation on cease-fire and termination of hostilities," the ministry said in a statement.

Read more ....

NEWS

Georgia Conflict: Full Coverage -- Yahoo News
Russia takes S.Ossetian capital, Georgia pulls back -- Reuters
Russia disputes claim of Georgian pullout -- Yahoo News/AP
Russian Troops Tighten Hold on Georgia -- New York Times
Georgia Pulls Out of Ossetia as Second Front Opens in Abkhazia -- Bloomberg
Georgia rebel region sends troops to disputed gorge -- Reuters
Georgia 'war' intensifies -- ITV
Georgia Pulls Troops From South Ossetia After Losses -- Bloomberg
U.S.: Russia's actions in Georgia could harm U.S. ties -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Georgia declares cease-fire in breakaway province -- Yahoo News/AP
Georgia 'pulls out of S Ossetia' -- BBC News
Ossetian official describes fleeing -- BBC News
Fear, anger, confusion in Tbilisi -- BBC News
Eyewitness: Scenes of panic in Gori -- BBC News
Day-by-day: South Ossetia crisis -- BBC News
Russia Prepares for Naval Blockade of Georgia -- Kommersant (Russia Daily)
Russia expands Georgia bombings -- MSNBC
Russia Expands Bombing Against Georgia -- ABC News
Georgian breakaway city in ruins -- CNN
Russia Expands Bombing Attack as Georgian Troops Pull Out of South Ossetia -- FOX News
Russian assault rages as Georgia pulls back -- The Australian
Russian troops tighten hold on Georgia -- International Herald Tribune
Fear and anger among those left in besieged city -- International Herald Tribune
Georgia under all-out attack in breakaway Abkhazia -- Guardian
Georgia withdraws troops from South Ossetian capital -- The Guardian
US condemns 'dangerous' Russian response in South Ossetia -- The Guardian
Russian tanks roll into Georgia as cities burn -- The Guardian
Georgian troops 'pull out as Russian warships arrive' -- Independent
30,000 homeless as a chaotic conflict intensifies -- Independent
War in the Caucasus: Inside the battle zone -- Independent
Russia sends in warships as troops advance on Georgian town of Gori -- Daily Mail
Georgia 'pulls troops out of South Ossetia'-- Telegraph
Crisis deepens as Russia snubs Bush's call to pull troops out -- Telegraph
Russian strikes hit civilians -- Telegraph
‘Bodies are lying everywhere. It’s hell’ -- Times Online
Russia steps up attacks and blockade as Georgians retreat -- Times Online
Russia brings war deep into Georgia -- LA Times
Georgian troops retreat from breakaway province -- Newsweek
Georgian troops retreat from breakaway province -- U.S. News And World Report
Canada advises citizens to evacuate Georgia -- Yahoo News/AFP
Britain urges travellers to leave Georgia -- Yahoo News/AFP
FACTBOX: Casualty tolls in Caucasus conflict -- Reuters

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

'Why Georgia Lost the War' -- American Thinker
Why Georgia Lost The War -- Strategy Page
Georgia's Risky Move -- Post Global (Washington Post)
Challenging situation for Moscow -- BBC News
South Ossetia Crisis Could Be Russia's Chance To Defeat Siloviki -- Radio Free Europe
Andrew Wilson: Georgia and Russia can still step back from the brink -- Independent
Leading article: A war on our blind side -- Independent
Georgia: how much is the west to blame? -- The Guardian
Russia must prove its diplomatic maturity -- The Guardian
World Pleads for Peace in S. Ossetia -- The Guardian
War in the Caucasus -- Wall Street Journal
Taunting the Bear -- New York Times
The West cannot afford to be indifferent to Georgia's fate -- The Age

Stratfor map of the conflict in South Ossetia (Click to Enlarge) Hat tip Tigerhawk

BLOGS

Who’s winning Georgia Part 2 -- Belmont Club
Georgia-Russia Clash: American Culpability and the Kosovo Connection -- Washington Note
Georgia Bulldogs, Not Paper Tigers -- Information Dissemination
South Ossetia: Georgia, Russia and the U.S. Presidential Election -- Global Voices Online
Russia’s Invasion of South Ossetia: The Kosovo Precedent In Play? -- Austin Bay
Russia, Georgia, and the Western Alliance -- Brussels Journal
Flash Point: South Ossetia (9 -10 August) -- Small Wars journal
An Opinion Piece -- Registan
Russia's Air Blitz against Georgia -- Wired
Obama talks to Rice about Georgia, condemns Russia -- Politico
Georgia Under Online Assault -- Danger Room
The War in Georgia: Issues of Escalation and Justification -- Opinio Juris
Russia’s Air Blitz over Georgia -- War Is Boring

VIDEO NEWS

MSNBC



CBS News


Russia Today


Aljazeera

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Timeline: Conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia -- Reuters
South Ossetia: factbox -- The Telegraph
The tussle for South Ossetia -- The Guardian
Timeline: South Ossetia -- The Guardian
Q & A: Behind the battle for South Ossetia -- MSNBC
Q&A: Violence in South Ossetia -- BBC News
Timeline: Key Events in Russian-Georgian Relations - Associated Press
How Russian and Georgian Forces Stack Up - Reuters
Factbox: International Reaction to South Ossetia Conflict - Reuters
Georgia - CIA World Factbook
Russia - CIA World Factbook
Georgia - BBC Country Page
Russia - BBC Country Page
South Ossetia - New York Times background and related news
South Ossetia - BBC background