TBILISI. Dec 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Some 60 rebels, including ethnic Arabs, may still be in the Pankisi Gorge, Georgian State Security Minister Valery Khaburdzania told Interfax on Wednesday.
"The appropriate special services are working on cleansing the gorge of all armed people," he said.
Georgian special services have been conducting an anti- criminal operation in the Pankisi Gorge since August.
Before this operation, the Georgian authorities admitted the presence of up to 800 Chechen and Arab rebels in the gorge.
Khaburdzania did not rule out that the rebels may be in the gorge disguised as Chechen refugees.