The rebellious Georgian region of Ajaria has blown up two bridges linking it to the rest of Georgia, amid rising tensions with the central government. The explosions occurred as the Georgian army carried out manoeuvres nearby. Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze rejects central control over his province and claims Georgia is preparing to invade. He said the destruction of the bridges - coming days after he mobilised reservists and declared a state of emergency - was an act of self-defence. Television showed a wrecked span of a bridge near the border, in the village of Kakuti, with concrete slabs in the river and several hundred armed men gathered nearby, Reuters reported. The other bridge crossed the river Choloki, on the border itself.
"According to our information, some sub-units of Georgian armed forces, participating in the current military exercises in the city of Poti, have set up their tents only 1km away from the administrative border," Mr Abashidze told the Itar-Tass news agency. "Yesterday some media agencies published a plan for the military invasion of Ajaria. The council in Ajaria decided that it was necessary to take security measures, preventative measures," he added. The blasts happened as Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was travelling to the port town of Poti, also close to the border.He has since returned to Tbilisi by helicopter to head an emergency meeting of the country’s security council. The Georgian president has repeatedly denied he intends to use force against Ajaria, and said his government had no plans to send troops to the area. The three days of military manoeuvres, which ended on Sunday, were Georgia’s biggest ever, but Mr Saakashvili said they were just a peaceful exercise. On Saturday, a prominent Ajarian businessman, Aleksandre Davitadze, became the latest Ajarian to switch sides and pledge his support for Mr Saakashvili. |