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TV 9 Spread New Information about Ongoing Events in Lopota Valley

September 11, 2012

Information Center of Kakheti

About one month ago, a group of 9 Chechen people crossed Georgian-Chechen border from the territory of Khonischali village in Khevsureti; Chechen field commander Doku Umarov’s alley and member of the Caucasus Emirate Tarkhan Gaziyev was commander of this group.  TV-9 spread information about it.

According to the information source of the TV-channel, Gaziyev’s group, stopped in Khonischala. Georgian government is still looking for him.

TV9 (program Anatomia) reported based on their source that during last week of Vano Merabishvili’s being on the position of Minister of Interior – from June 23 to June 30, another 6-member group entered Georgia from the Georgian-Azerbaijan border in Lagodekhi via Mazim Chai Checkpoint. A car with dark window-glasses was waiting for them in the neutral territory though entrance of this group was not officially registered anywhere.

According to the Anatomia’s information, the Minister of Interior was changed in that period so the group could not continue his way and the threat that their presence in the gorge could be disclosed was increasing. “Somebody is calling them from Tbilisi and suggests staying in the forest. In parallel to it, it was reported that deputy minister Gia Lortkipanidze stayed on his position and his brother Davit Lortkipanidze is still deputy head of the Constitutional Security Department’s Kakheti office; in private talks MIA officers state that Davit Lortkipanidze was arranging the issues connected with status-less people in the gorge with Merabishvili and Akhalaia,” TV9 reported.

According to the TV-company, “several days before Lopota events, Tarkhan Gaziyev’s unit started for the Pankisi Gorge. Anatomia was informed about concrete itinerary of this 6-member group which had crossed Mazim Chai’s checkpoint when Vano Merabishvili was minister – P277 road number, destination - Khasaviort. It was found out that Dagestan town Khasaviort is marked exactly in this direction P 277 via P 278 on the map. The source added that the group was to travel towards quarries. Supposedly he meant marble quarries where young people missing from Lapankuri village were searched beforehand. The source said Vahabit field commanders and religious leaders intended to meet in the territory of Tsez settlement. Tsez people live in Khasaviurt district. We see field commander Tarkhan Gaziyev in the video-roll prepared by Mojaheds from Khasaviurt; besides that, famous military reporter Babitski said the group moving in Georgia planned to meet Doku Umarov in Dagestan. Gaziyev’s participation in this operation proves this allegation,” the TV9 reported.

According to the TV-company, the groups of nine and six members were about to meet each other; one group accidentally met young people feasting in the forest and asked them to be their guides in exchange of money and guarantee of inviolability.

According to Anatomia’s sources, total number of group members was 23: “If 6 people having crossed Georgian-Azerbaijan border via Mazim Chai Checkpoint joined the Gaziyev’s 9-member group and three people from the Pankisi Gorge – Bagakashvili, Margoshvili and Kavtarashvili also joined them they made up a group of 18 people. In addition to that, we have information about Akhmeda– personal representative of Doku Umarov, who was arrested by MIA according to recently spread information. Akhmeda had four Chechen refugees living in Pankisi Valley in his group; so finally the total number of the group members was 23 people based on the information provided by various sources and respondent.”

According to the source, those Kists and Chechen people, who were killed during Lopota events, were fighting on the Georgian side during Russian-Georgian war in 2008.

MIA has not made comments about the information spread by the TV 9.

TV-program Anatomia

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