ONGOING SKIRMISHES IN SOUTH OSSETIA KILL GEORGIAN SERVICEMAN

TBILISI, August 17. (RIA Novosti's Marina Kvaratskhelia) - Skirmishes in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict continued throughout the night, killing one Georgian serviceman and wounding three, RIA Novosti learned from Alexander Sukhitashvili, police chief of the Shida Kartli region (Georgia's Gori district bordering on South Ossetia, Georgia's breakaway republic).

"Last night the fire was the most massive. According to preliminary information, one Georgian serviceman was killed and three wounded," he said.

Skirmishes in the conflict zone are ongoing, he said. As a result, the wounded have not been brought out of the hostilities zone, he added.

"It began at approximately 9 p.m. Moscow time on Monday. At first they fired from firearms, then used artillery. Firing began from the Ossetian villages of Sarabuk, Kokhat and Triakana," Sukhitashvili maintains.

According to him, the bypass road that connects the Maloye Liakhva and Bolshoye Liakhva gorges was under fire.

"After two hours of fire, at approximately 11 p.m. Moscow time, Georgia's Interior Minister [Irakly Okruashvili] ordered retaliatory fire," the police chief said.

Also, last night Okruashvili had a phone conversation with South Ossetian representatives, after which the parties stopped using artillery. Skirmishes are ongoing using firearms, Sukhitashvili added.