Fresh fighting erupted overnight in Georgia's separatist republic of South Ossetia, leaving at least three people dead and several wounded. The shootout, which followed a day of heavy artillery fire around the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, is the most serious incident reported in the area since the election of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in January. This is also the first time in years that people are reported killed in military action in South Ossetia.
For residents in Tskhinvali and neighboring villages, it was a sleepless night. Gun and artillery fire reportedly began at two o'clock in the morning and lasted some seven hours. South Ossetian Information and Press Committee head Irina Gagloyeva claims 30 people -- both civilians and separatist security forces -- were wounded in Tskhinvali and nearby ethnic Ossetian villages during the shootout. But the heaviest casualties apparently occurred on the Georgian side. Tbilisi says three of its peacekeepers were killed and several other people wounded in the ethnic village of Tamarasheni and other nearby Georgian settlements. Tamaresheni is located several hundred meters north of Tskhinvali. None of these figures could be independently confirmed. As in previous incidents, both sides blame each other for opening fire first.
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