Russian military 'concerned' by US airlift to Georgia

WAR REPORT

US crew unload a US C-17 transport plane on the tarmac at Tbilisi airport on August 13, 2008. A US transport plane flew relief supplies to war-torn Georgia, kicking off a humanitarian airlift as the Pentagon mulled what it will take to rebuild the Georgian military. US President George W. Bush announced the start of the airlift, warning Russia that it had to ensure that all airports, ports and roads remain open to humanitarian and civilian transit. The Pentagon, meanwhile, said it will be reviewing the needs of the Georgian military, battered in more than four days of all-out fighting with Russian forces over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. "They are a good ally. I'm sure the mil-to-mil (military) relationship will continue and we'll be looking at what their needs are," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman. Photo courtesy AFP.

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) Aug 14, 2008
Russia is concerned that US military cargo planes may be delivering more than just humanitarian aid to Georgia, a senior Russian military commander said Thursday.

"Let us ask the Americans to convince us that the cargo on board these planes is indeed humanitarian aid," the deputy head of Russia's General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn said in a televised press conference.

"Why don't they lift the curtain on what is being delivered? This concerns us fundamentally," he said.

A second US military cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid for conflict-torn Georgia arrived in the capital Tbilisi on Thursday, a State Department official said.

Over the past few days close to two million dollars (1.3 million euros) in humanitarian aid has been provided by the United States to the Georgian people in the form of medical supplies, tents, blankets and water, the official said.

US President George W. Bush announced the start of the aid missions Wednesday, warning Russia it had to ensure that all airports, ports and roads remained open to humanitarian and civilian transit.

The United States is Georgia's principal military backer, and has provided significant quantities of military aid in recent years.

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WAR REPORT

Saakashvili to face tough questions over Georgia unrest: analysts

Tbilisi (AFP) Aug 12, 2008
When the dust settles in Georgia's ongoing conflict with Russia, President Mikheil Saakashvili will face some tough questions over his handling of the crisis, analysts say.

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