Gori blasts shake fragile Georgia truce

GORI (Georgia)  - Moscow’s military might was on display around Gori on Thursday as Georgian troops hoping to enter the strategically important town encountered formidable Russian firepower and had to retreat.

Faced with Russian tanks and armoured vehicles, Georgian forces pulled back to positions along the road leading into the town, as expectations the Russian military would pull out proved premature. The situation was tense even on the road on the outskirts of the town. An AFP reporter heard a series of explosions and smoke was seen rising nearby.