Georgia says Russian tanks on move

MOSCOW, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Russian troops still remain in two major Georgian cities Friday amid unconfirmed reports of Russian tanks moving to other locations, observers said.

Although Russia said its withdrawal from the Georgian city of Gori would be completed Thursday, witnesses said Russian troops remained in the city early Friday, CNN reported.

Gori was a base for the Georgian military and near the breakaway province of South Ossetia where the conflict began last week when Georgian troops tried to rein in rebel forces only to be overwhelmed by Russian troops.

A U.S. official said Russian troops also occupied Poti, a port city where Russians have been accused of bombing a military installation and ships. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denied troops were in Poti, but CNN said Russian soldiers were seen blocking the road to the city.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, meanwhile, said more than 100 tanks and other vehicles were traveling between Senaki and Kutaisi, but the report could not be independently confirmed.

Also unconfirmed were Russian reports of genocide in South Ossetia, The Wall Street Journal said. Russia accused Georgia of killing thousands of civilians in the region, but doctors said they treated several hundred people, with one citing a confirmed death toll of a few dozen.

The civil liberties group Human Rights Watch said its investigation indicates both Russian and Georgian troops caused civilian casualties. It issued a report indicating that the number of dead in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital, was in the dozens.