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| Caucasus |
| A Videotape Provides Pankisi Proof |
| 2002-10-03 |
| Although a videotape apparently shot by a British reporter provides compelling evidence that Chechen rebels are allowed to move freely in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, Russia will hold off from taking any action until President Vladimir Putin meets with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze this weekend, analysts said. Rossia television broadcast a video this week of Chechen rebels crossing from Pankisi to North Ossetia and then sneaking into Ingushetia, where they fought Russian forces near the village of Galashki. Rossia said the footage was shot by Roddy Scott, a freelance British reporter who apparently was killed in the fighting. "The tape is evidence that Chechen rebels can move freely through Georgian territory," said Dmitry Rogozin, the chairman of the State Duma's international affairs committee. We kinda knew that. Here's some professionally shot proof... The tape starts with a short monologue by Scott, who says he plans to travel to Georgia and then to Chechnya. The next scene shows armed, bearded men in camouflage fatigues, camped out on the side of a grassy hill. One of the men jokingly tells Scott that he will die a Moslem martyr. "Roddy, you will soon become a shakhid," the man said. Scott reportedly died last Thursday when a bullet pierced the lens of his camera. Very funny. Hah hah. The footage then shows the rebels taking down their tents, loading equipment onto horses and walking up a mist-covered hill. One piece of equipment has a tubular shape, similar to that of a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile. Ummm... Bet it was an anti-aircraft missile... The rebels, carrying bulky backpacks, can be heard breathing heavily and gasping in the thin mountain air. The rebels are next seen watching a village. Then the video abruptly zooms in on a low-flying Russian helicopter. It ends with a shot of motionless bodies dressed in camouflage lying on ground. The heli crew? Or the Chechens? Rebels seized in the fighting near Galashki have said there were 200 men in their group. The rebels managed to shoot down a Russian helicopter and burn an armored vehicle before scattering into nearby forests. It is unclear whether any rebels had fled back into Georgia. The Bad Guys claim they made it back to Chechnya... Thanks to Steve for the link... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |