Georgians target of vicious looting

TBILISI, Georgia, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Residents of the Georgian village of Dvani allege their village was looted and burned by soldiers from South Ossetia backed by Russian forces.

Dvani resident Merab Merakishvili said the soldiers, who are part of a Russian military action in Georgia, allegedly stole computers and other goods from area buildings and set fire to the structures before fleeing, the Chicago Tribune said Thursday.

"I was at my neighbor's house and looked out the window and saw a soldier breaking into my house," he said of Wednesday's reported looting. "They were shouting and screaming, so I ran. Now I'm homeless and don't know where to turn."

The village is near the Georgian border to South Ossetia and is part of a growing number of sites in the European country targeted by looters, the Tribune said.

Human Rights Watch claimed similar acts of violent looting are taking place in Georgian villages in South Ossetia.