Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on October 20 that the Georgian special forces destroyed a group of South Ossetian saboteurs who were allegedly attacking the high-voltage power transmission lines in Georgia.

Two towers of high-voltage power transmission lines were blown up on October 10 in western Georgia, following similar explosions at the Kartli-2 power line near the central Georgian town of Gori on October 9. As a result of the explosions the power supply to capital Tbilisi is still limited.

“After the Georgian side curbed smuggling through South Ossetia saboteur groups have been set up there to paralyze Georgia’s energy system,” President Saakashvili said at a news briefing on October 20.

Saakashvili did not specify the details of the operation against the alleged saboteurs – when, where of how it was carried out. However, the Georgian media has speculated that the armed clash which occurred near the village of Kirbali in the South Ossetian conflict zone on October 12 between the Georgian law enforcers and the South Ossetian peacekeepers was an operation by the Georgian special forces against a group which was suspected of blowing up the transmission lines.

As a result of the clash, two South Ossetian peacekeepers were killed and one was wounded. The wounded serviceman together with two other peacekeepers and one civilian were arrested by Georgian law enforcers. The arrested persons were handed over to the South Ossetian side later.