September 29, 2012 - 14:10 AMT
South Ossetian border shelled, reports say

A South Ossetian border checkpoint was fired upon Saturday, Sept 29, after which local security forces arrested a Georgian Interior Ministry official, RIA Novosti reported citing local media outlets.

The incident occurred around 3:40 am in the Dzausky part of South Ossetia, a self-proclaimed independent breakaway Georgian republic bordering on Russia.

“As a result of the actions taken on the territory of South Ossetia, not far from the state border, Georgian Interior Ministry official Mogol Tomiashvili, a resident of the Ksuis village, was arrested,” the South Ossetian news agency RES quoted the KGB as saying.

South Ossetian forces did not return fire.

A rifle and a grenade launcher was reportedly seized from Tomiasvhili.

Russia fought a war with Georgia in 2008 over South Ossetia, and the territory remains at the heart of tensions in the Russian-Georgian relationship.

Six United Nations member states recognize Abkhazia and five recognize South Ossetia. The United States, European Union, and a majority of UN member states have affirmed Georgia’s territorial integrity and do not recognize the regions’ independence.