Pankisi Gorge
Encyclopedia
The Pankisi Gorge or Pankisi (პანკისი) is a valley region in Georgia
, in the northeastern corner of the country, bordering the Chechnya
n republic of the Russian Federation. Administratively, it is included in the Akhmeta
district of the Kakheti
region. An ethnic group called Kists
of Chechen
roots form the majority (75%) in the area.
It had allegedly often been used as a base for transit, training and shipments of arms and financing by Chechen
rebels and Islamic militants, including foreign fighters from Afghanistan and Arab countries, many of whom followed Ruslan Gelayev. Most of these accusations were around 2002, but others allege that it is more peaceful now, although there are still many Chechen refugees living there.
Russia has attempted to attack the Chechen militants in the gorge. Georgia has also accused Russia of carrying out bombing raids in the gorge region in which at least one Georgian civilian was believed to have perished. (no ref.)
Landmine Monitor warns of antipersonnel mines being laid in the Gorge. A number of casualties have resulted in landmines still being encountered in the Gorge.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, in the northeastern corner of the country, bordering the Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
n republic of the Russian Federation. Administratively, it is included in the Akhmeta
Akhmeta
Akhmeta is a town in the Kakheti province of Georgia. It is the home for Zurab Zviadauri, gold medalist in judo.In some parts of southern Germany the term 'Achmeta!' has become a common interjection for expressing disappointment or frustration....
district of the Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
region. An ethnic group called Kists
Kist people
The Kists are a Nakh-speaking ethnic group in Georgia related to the Chechen and Ingush peoples. They primarily live in the Pankisi Gorge, in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti, where their total number is approximate to 5,000 people.-Origins:...
of Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
roots form the majority (75%) in the area.
It had allegedly often been used as a base for transit, training and shipments of arms and financing by Chechen
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
rebels and Islamic militants, including foreign fighters from Afghanistan and Arab countries, many of whom followed Ruslan Gelayev. Most of these accusations were around 2002, but others allege that it is more peaceful now, although there are still many Chechen refugees living there.
Russia has attempted to attack the Chechen militants in the gorge. Georgia has also accused Russia of carrying out bombing raids in the gorge region in which at least one Georgian civilian was believed to have perished. (no ref.)
Landmine Monitor warns of antipersonnel mines being laid in the Gorge. A number of casualties have resulted in landmines still being encountered in the Gorge.
External links
- Shorena Kurtsikidze and Vakhtang Chikovani, Georgia's Pankisi Gorge: An Ethnographic Survey, Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies,University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2002.(http://escholarship.org/uc/item/64d7v9hj)
- Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations ProgramGeorgia Sustainment and Stability Operations ProgramThe Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program was a security assistance program designed to create an increased capability in the Georgian military to support Operation Iraqi Freedom stability missions...
http://www.eucom.mil/english/GSSOP/index.asp