TBILISI. June 26 (Interfax-AVN) - Participation of foreign special-purpose units in the anti-guerrilla operation in Georgia's Pankisi gorge will turn the region into "a second Chechnya," Lieutenant General Avtandil Ioseliani, head of the Georgian Intelligence Department, said on Wednesday.
"This will inevitably result in a large-scale war and arrival of terrorist mercenaries from many Islamic nations in that region of Georgia," Ioseliani told Interfax-Military News Agency.
According to data available to the Georgian secret services, over 600 Chechen rebels and up to 100 mercenaries from Arab and other nations are located in the gorge.
"We are thankful to Russia for offering us assistance in combating terrorists, but we consider unacceptable the participation of Russian troops or troops of any other country in operations on the Georgian territory," Ioseliani said. He was asked to comment on the recent statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Georgia would not be able to solve the Pankisi gorge problem without Russia.
"If we get "a second Chechnya" when we have not settled the situations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it will cause irretrievable damage to our nation," Ioseliani said.
"If a much stronger Russia is unable to cope with the Chechen problem for many years, Georgia will have an even harder time doing it," the official stressed.