TSHINVALI. Aug 25 (Interfax-AVN) - The Interior Department deputy chief in Tskhinvali, Nodar Dzagoyev, was killed on Wednesday, and authorities have opened an investigation to discover if foul play was behind the death.
"Investigators are looking into all possible murder scenarios, including a terrorist act," said Robert Guliyev, Interior Minister of the unrecognized South Ossetian republic.
Further details about the incident were unavailable at the time.
The minister also told Interfax that two Tskhinvali residents were detained and heavily beaten in the Georgian village of Kekhli last night.
By law, South Ossetia is Georgia's province. In the 1990s, South Ossetia obtained de facto independence from the mainland. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili is seeking to restore control over South Ossetia while the South Ossetian side is seeking international recognition of its independence. In the last several months, relations between the belligerents have been growing worse, with repeated hostilities.