SUKHUMI. Oct. 18. (Interfax-AVN) - Abkhazian authorities are determined to launch the demobilisation of reservists, Gary Coupalba, deputy defence minister of the self-proclamed republic, said on Thursday.
"This became feasible in the aftermath of successful actions of the Abkhazian forces that managed to disperse and squeeze the principal forces of Georgian and Chechen rebels who had occupied the republic out of the country," Coupalba told Interfax-Military News Agency. "As is known, we were able to dodge the resumption of large-scale hostilities in Abkhazia," he said.
According to Coupalba's words 36 casualties among Abkhazian servicemen, with 16 people killed and over 20 wounded, were reported in the aftermath of clashes between the Abkhazian and rebels forces occurred between October 3 and 17. According to the Defence Ministry of Abkhazia, the number of the rebels killed is at least 60 people. The civilians' death toll climbed to at least 20, Coupalba says.
Coupalba also added that one of the rebel gangs totaling over 100 people headed by Chechen warlord Ruslan Gelayev entered the Georgia-controlled part of the Kodori gorge so Abkhazian forces ceased the pursuit of the above mentioned band thereat.
An air strike was inflicted on the second group amounting to 80 men in the vicinity of Amtkel pass, inflicting "substantial" losses on it.
The republic's defence officials consider Abkhazian forces' topmost priority to be the fight against small scattered rebel gangs.