Zar Road Massacre

During the August 2008 war in South Ossetia, there were numerous accounts of Georgian troops attacking civilians, a crime under international law. A particularly horrific assault took place on Zar Road, where frightened women, children and elderly people were slaughtered as they tried to flee their burning city.

This was not a surprise attack or unexpected flare-up. It was a planned assault involving highly trained Georgian soldiers using tanks and other artillery. These attacks took place on a blind turn in a road known by all sides as the only place for Ossetians to flee to the north.

Around dawn on the morning of August 8, Marina Dzagoeva fled Tskhinval in her car with her two sons and mother-in-law, 75-year-old Babutsa Tedeeva. When she reached Zar Road, Georgian troops began firing on her car, killing her elderly mother-in-law and her son. She and her second son managed to escape.

More than 20 people were killed by Georgian troops on Zar Road during last August's fighting, according to data compiled by the South Ossetian government and local NGOs. The toll may be much higher, but compiling information has been difficult because thousands of refugees from the war remain unaccounted for.

A Nightmare Repeated

This was not the first time such a tragedy occurred. In the spring of 1992, Georgia was engaged in a military campaign to retake South Ossetia. Civilians fleeing Tskhinval to North Ossetia were targeted. On May 20 of that year, 32 people, mostly women and children, were killed by Georgian artillery fire on Zar Road. Dozens more were seriously injured.

Georgian Troop Involvement

Due to South Ossetia's unique geography and the hostile Georgian villages encircling the city, frightened Ossetians trying to flee to the north only had one way out of Tskhinval. This fact was well known to authorities in Georgia. Witnesses to the Georgian attacks on Zar Road in August 2008 said Georgian troops were assembled along Zar Road, and fired repeatedly on cars that were clearly civilian vehicles. At least one tank, armored vehicles and soldiers armed with automatic weapons were stationed at the intersection of the roads to Khetagurova and Zar, firing on cars as they climbed the hill and turned the corner onto Zar Road.

U.S.-Trained Georgian Troops

The United States has spent tens of millions of dollars training and equipping the Georgian military, an effort which intensified under the Bush administration and has continued under the Obama Administration. That included bringing Georgian military officers to the U.S. for training and sending military advisors to Georgia. Thousands of Georgian troops have received training from the U.S. over the past decade

Based on information obtained during and after the August war--including statements by captured Georgian soldiers--South Ossetian military leaders have identified some of the Georgian troops involved in the Zar Road attack. They included a tank battalion of the 1st Brigade and the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Brigade. The South Ossetian military believes the commanders of the battalions involved in the Zar Road massacre--and at least some of the soldiers - were trained by the U.S. In addition, the Georgian troops involved in the South Ossetia assault were using sophisticated weaponry acquired from the U.S., Israel and other NATO allies.

The people of South Ossetia hope the American people will--as they learn more about the horrific events of last August--question why their tax dollars are being spent to support a country whose U.S.-trained troops fired on innocent civilians in blatant violation of international law.

August War Memorial

A candlelight service in the center of Tskhinval, a speech by President Eduard Kokoity and the visit of Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh and other notable guests were among the highlights of this weekend's events to honor the victims of last August's brutal attack by Georgia. In a speech at the main square in Tskhinval--the center of the attack by Georgia that began on the night of August 7, 2008--President Kokoity told the crowd that President Saakashvili's goal was the "destruction and exile of the South Ossetian people." READ MORE