TBILISI. Nov 23 (Interfax-AVN) - Another troop train, carrying materiel and equipment of the Tbilisi garrison of the Russian Task Force in Transcaucasia, left the Vaziani railway station for Russia on Thursday, a headquarters official of the Russian Task Force told Interfax-AVN.
"The train carries several communications vehicles, engineering hardware, diesel generators, and other equipment," he said.
He pointed out that the decision on withdrawing Russian units from Tbilisi ahead of the appointed time had been taken in light of growing tensions and for security reasons.
"The first train with arms and materiel left Tbilisi for Gyumri, Armenia, on November 16. Two more trains are to leave on December 1 and 10, with one of them to be sent to Russia and the other one to Armenia," the official said.
"All Russian servicemen will have been withdrawn from Tbilisi by December 25," he added.
A total of 97 combat vehicles, 353 tonnes of military hardware, just over 350 servicemen, and 130 civil servants are to be withdrawn from Tbilisi, Army General Alexander Baranov, commander of the North Caucasus Military District, told Interfax-AVN earlier.
He pointed out that there were no problems as far as the withdrawal was concerned, and that Georgia did not cause any obstacles.
Under the Russian-Georgian agreement, Russian military bases, deployed in Batumi (the 12th base) and Akhalkalaki (the 62nd base), are to be withdrawn from Georgia in 2008.