It reached Tskhinvali in the evening, meeting heavy resistance from Georgian troops.
The attacks decisively dropped the fighting morale of the Georgian troops.
Tskhinvali residents are almost unanimous in blaming the Georgian troops for the destruction of the city.
Indeed, Georgian troops that were sent to Iraq have all undergone these training programs.
The shooting sparked a firefight, in which 10 more members of the armed group and three Georgian troops were killed.
Georgian troops took control over the city of Gagra.
Georgian troops occupied the road six miles (about 10 km) closer to Tbilisi.
After being initially forced to withdraw, the Georgian troops made several attempts to retake the city.
After fierce fighting, Georgian troops were finally forced to withdraw from the city on the evening of 10 August.
On November 8, 2004, 300 extra Georgian troops were sent to Iraq.