Abkhazia takes control of Kodori Gorge

TBILISI, Georgia, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Abkhazia, taking advantage of Georgian troops fighting in South Ossetia, seized the Kodori Gorge region, the Georgian province's deputy defense minister said.

Troops from Abkhazia took control of the area with aerial bombardment that Georgian officials said was probably carried out by Russian jets, The New York Times reported Monday.

"The situation was such that we saw an opportunity and we took it," said Garri Kupalba, Abkhazia's deputy defense minister.

The Kodori Gorge along the Georgian-Russian border was valued by the Georgian government for its strategic proximity to Abkhazia, which Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had pledged to bring under the country's authority.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are two provinces that have historic ties to Russia. Nearly two weeks ago, Georgian troops tried to rein in rebels in South Ossetia, prompting Russian troops to move in.

Abkhaz officials said Russia, which provides the province with financial and military aid, recently increased its troop levels there to about 9,000 but had no part in the takeover.

One Abkhaz soldier died in the operation, the Times said. Georgian officials said civilians were evacuated at the start of the bombardment.

"There was no possibility to fight back," said Mevlud Dzhachuliani, a Georgian government official in the Kodori Gorge during the attack. "They bombed us, and we all left."