Abkhazian guards clash with Georgians

SABERIO, Georgia, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Border guards in the breakaway region of Abkhazia say three Georgian "saboteurs" were killed Saturday near the de facto border with Georgia.

The Abkhazian guards clashed with an armed group of six near the village of Saberio in the Gali district, killing three "Georgian saboteurs," RIA Novosti reported, noting the rest fled back into the disputed region of Georgia.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke from Georgia in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states in late August following a week-long war in which Russian soldiers entered Georgia to defend South Ossetia from Georgian attacks, RIA Novosti reported.

International talks on the Georgian conflict held in October in Geneva were suspended until Nov. 18 over procedural difficulties, RIA Novosti reported.