December 2 between 13.00 - 13.50 a.m. an armed incident took place in the area about one kilometer to the south-east of the village of Tsnelis in Znaur district of South Ossetia.
As reported to IA "Res" by Deputy Presidential Envoy for post-conflict settlement Khoch Gagloyty, a group of the border guards of KGB of South Ossetia, consisting of three people was patrolling the border area along the Fronsky gorge, which runs at 1.5 km to the south-east of Tsnelis.
"After about one kilometer along the gorge to the south-east of Tsnelis, towards the border of South Ossetia, the frontier guards noticed that from the height located in the Georgian territory, on the left side of the river, they were under visual surveillance by the armed men. As it turned out, those were the Georgian policemen. The border guards continued patrolling the border, because, this is an ordinary, daily procedure, - said Gagloyty. - Around 13:00, when approaching the boundary mark of the state border of the Republic of South Ossetia to check the lack of damage (sometimes the border marks are harmed by "unknown persons" ), it was opened fire upon the border guards from the mentioned height, located in the territory of Georgia ."
One of the South Ossetian border guards took shelter at the riverbed; two of them managed to escape and hid behind the nearest ridge of slope.
"The fire from the Georgian side did not stop, and to ensure the withdrawal of the frontier guard, who had found shelter at the riverbed, was opened a returned fire, because it wasan exceptional case. The exchange of fire lasted for about 50 minutes. There are not any victims or injured, "- he said.
Gagloyty has added that the details of the incident are under study by the law enforcement agencies of South Ossetia, and will also be discussed at the next MPRI meeting to be held December 18, 2012, where the South Ossetian delegation will make a relevant statement.
He also noted that the information spread by the mass media of Georgia on the incident is unreliable, untested, and is controversial, as well as the information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia on the "detainees in the Ossetian territory."
