Army chief killed in Ossetia

2008-10-04 18:00

Moscow - A Russian military chief was one of those killed in Friday's car-bomb blast in the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia, Interfax news agency reported Saturday, citing a military spokesperson in Moscow.

Colonel Ivan Petrik, who was the commander of the Russian troops in South Ossetia, was fatally wounded in his office when the 20- kilogram bomb went off next to a Russian army base.

The spokesperson was confirming a report in Saturday's Kommersant newspaper.

Seven Russian soldiers were killed in the attack and seven injured.

The South Ossetian leadership has blamed the Georgian secret services for the attack, which Tbilisi has denied and has instead held the Russian secret services accountable, accusing them of wanting to create a reason for Russian forces to remain.

As part of the Caucasus peace plan agreed by Moscow and Tbilisi, Russian forces are due to withdraw from South Ossetia and Georgia proper by Friday.

The bomb that exploded on Friday had been hidden in a four-by-four vehicle that had previously been seized by Russian forces in Georgian territory.

- SAPA