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Last update - 00:46 11/08/2008
Jewish Georgian minister: Thanks to Israeli training, we're fending off Russia
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Georgia, Russia, Jewish World

Jewish Georgian Minister Temur Yakobshvili on Sunday praised the Israel Defense Forces for its role in training Georgian troops and said Israel should be proud of its military might, in an interview with Army Radio.

"Israel should be proud of its military which trained Georgian soldiers," Yakobashvili told Army Radio in Hebrew, referring to a private Israeli group Georgia had hired.

Yakobashvili, Georgia's minister of reintegration, added that this training provided Georgia with the know-how needed to defend itself against Russian forces in the clashes which erupted last last week in the separatist region of South Ossetia.
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Yakobashvili said that a small group of Georgian soldiers had able to wipe out an entire Russian military division due to this training.

"We killed 60 Russian soldiers just yesterday," said Yakobashvili. "The Russians have lost more than 50 tanks, and we have shot down 11 of their planes. They have enormous damage in terms of manpower,"

Yakobashvili warned that the Russians would try and open another battlefront in Abkhazia and he denied reports that the Georgian army was retreating. "The Georgian forces are not retreating. We move our military according to security needs."

"There was no attack on the airport in Tbilisi. It was a factory that produces combat airplanes," said Yakobashvili referring to the attacks in the country's capital.

"The whole world is starting to understand that what is happening here will determine the future of this region, the future price of crude oil, the future of central Asia, and the future of NATO," the Georgian minister added.

According to him, "every bomb that falls over our heads is an attack on democracy, on the European Union and on America."

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      1.   War Pigs/Fools on parade 19:16  |  Eric Wilson 10/08/08
      2.   Is that why they are getting their buts kicked, losers 19:30  |  POP 10/08/08
      3.   I would have thought 19:40  |  Paul Wood 10/08/08
      4.   #2 I agree, Saakasvili overplayed his hand 19:43  |  Mark B. 10/08/08
      5.   "The Georgian forces are not retreating." 19:44  |  Rowan 10/08/08
      6.   they asked HEZBALLAH Before... 19:45  |  Imad 10/08/08
      7.   wow 19:47  |  sam 10/08/08
      8.   Georgia 19:50  |  Bruce Rubin 10/08/08
      9.   Georgian Fool 19:51  |  John 10/08/08
      10.   Georgia`s minister 20:03  |  jay 10/08/08
      11.   #6 - YEAH RIGHT! HAHAHA 20:19  |  D 10/08/08
      12.   notice the absence of Rice on this conflict.... 20:28  |  r 10/08/08
      13.   LOL 20:29  |  Yaakov 10/08/08
      14.   Israel just screwed itself (bye bye attack on Iran) 20:31  |  Yaakov 10/08/08
      15.   # 14 20:42  |  imad 10/08/08
      16.   Israel Trining Geogian Army 20:43  |  Man in UK 10/08/08
      17.   I` ve sent the title to russian paper 20:43  |  Imad 10/08/08
      18.   All complainers-what about BILLIONS$$ of Russian Arms AND PILOTS 20:44  |  Alan SA 10/08/08
      19.   Ceasefire 20:48  |  Dana 10/08/08
      20.   comtinuation------ ...... 20:49  |  Imad 10/08/08
      21.   Little Bush is in Chine now .. 20:57  |  Imad 10/08/08
      22.   "praised the Israel Defense Forces for its role" 21:01  |  BBSNews 10/08/08
      23.   Oh my! Mr. Yakobshvili`s comments seem quite funny.... 21:09  |  Chevra 10/08/08
      24.   This time it was only training... next time... 21:13  |  Rafa 10/08/08
      25.   Georgia 21:14  |  Patrick Lehmann 10/08/08
      26.   #14 Yaakov 21:18  |  Persian Hero 10/08/08
      27.   and what does the Israeli DM of Georgia say? 21:20  |  Sacha 10/08/08
      28.   Hmm... 21:35  |  Magnus K. 10/08/08
      29.   Pulling aretz into conflict with russia 21:53  |  syd 10/08/08
      30.   Yaakov in Toronto #13 21:59  |  FOX 10/08/08
      31.   Man in UK, who so smug 22:07  |  FOX 10/08/08
      32.   THATS NONSENSE-ISRAEL HAS MILLIONS OF RUSSIANS. 22:19  |  miras 10/08/08
      33.   Georgia, Ms. Rice, the Olympics, S-Ossetia 22:34  |  Ricardo Kolbe 10/08/08
      34.   ""Israel should be proud of its military which trained Georgian.. 22:37  |  Axel 10/08/08
      35.   "don`t praise the day befor the evening" 22:42  |  wh 10/08/08
      36.   Much Ado about nothing! 22:42  |  Doc Holliday 10/08/08
      37.   Alan SA 22:46  |  wh 10/08/08
      38.   @ Eric Wilson 23:02  |  Chet 10/08/08
      39.   What happened to the underdog? 23:04  |  Moises 10/08/08
      40.   to thank for ... 23:15  |  Khalid 10/08/08
      41.   What the hell is this war all about? Why are young men ... 23:17  |  bat yam 10/08/08
      42.   Temur Yakobshvili - Dream on 23:22  |  AM 10/08/08
      43.   THE MOUSE THAT ROARED 23:51  |  tbart 10/08/08
      44.   All that training has gone to waste 00:10  |  Forever Palestinian 11/08/08
      45.   Boot lickers abound, I see 00:11  |  fiona 11/08/08
      46.   #31 FOX , well said! 00:13  |  fiona 11/08/08
      47.   WHICH Israeli ARMY Helped Georgians? 00:17  |  Samy 11/08/08
      48.   most americans 00:32  |  bri 11/08/08
      49.   #45 Fiona. Christian Georgia, under the influence of Zionism... 01:15  |  Maureen Ann 11/08/08
      50.   IAF is practicing in Georgia 01:56  |  Miles 11/08/08
      51.   fiona thinks common sense and accepting reality is bootlicking 02:01  |  Mark B. 11/08/08
      52.   #47Samy, no this`s the real army that ground Hizbullah in Lebanon 02:29  |  David 11/08/08
      53.   bad humour 03:40  |  GB 11/08/08
      54.   In neo-fascist Russia, S. Ossetia is 21st century Sudetenland 04:22  |  Voice of Reason 11/08/08
      55.   Thanks to Israeli training, we`re fending off Russia 05:37  |  Fred 11/08/08
      56.   BigBullShitNews Brown Bear are Weak animals 05:45  |  Fred 11/08/08
      57.   We can end this begining 06:43  |  michael mazur 11/08/08
      58.   jewish losers 07:37  |  putin 11/08/08
      59.   Frnding off Russia? 08:41  |  American Patriot 11/08/08
      60.   Jewish Georgian minister: Thanks to Israeli training, we`re fendi 09:19  |  Desperate in America 11/08/08
      61.   wishful thinking 11:22  |  Richard 11/08/08
      62.   This shows the involvement of Israeli in all conflicts 17:01  |  Tanvir 11/08/08
      63.   Russia is the problem 17:32  |  Sam 11/08/08
      64.   war in lebanon 20:05  |  avi 11/08/08
      65.   #64 Hizbullah cut to pieces 20:43  |  Warren J 11/08/08
      66.   Oil and War 20:52  |  Stephen B Coulson 11/08/08
      67.   I can`t stand Israel...but... 02:29  |  Jason 12/08/08
      68.   Georga and Israeli help 05:08  |  chris devitt 12/08/08
      69.   Israeli connection in Georgia 06:36  |  Ahmed from Bahrain 12/08/08
      70.   Filthy Liars!!! 18:26  |  jimmy joe 12/08/08
      71.   #65 Warren J- Nasrallah said he was "Sorry" 23:15  |  * BEN JABO 13/08/08