US Troops in Georgia

US President George W Bush has defended plans for the US military to train and equip troops in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

The US involvement has drawn criticism from Moscow which has traditionally regarded Georgia as part of its sphere of influence.

Washington has already sent at least six helicopters and unconfirmed US media reports say up to 200 special forces may be deployed.

The US has been keen to stress that any military aid to Georgia would have to be formally requested and would be limited to training and equipment - no US troops would be directly involved in fighting.

US forces will have the right, however, to act in self-defence, said a Pentagon spokesman.

Russia's aggressive proxy war on the West in Georgia

Russian jets have bombed targets in the Georgian town of Gori, about 25km (15 miles) from the intense fighting in South Ossetia. Here the BBC's Richard Galpin describes chaotic scenes in Gori on Saturday.

There are reports and confirmed eyewitness videos from Georgian, Russian and independent sides that several Georgian military bases were bombed by Russian aircraft and a port in the south of the country, on the Black Sea coast a long way from here.

Clearly the Russians are choosing a lot of targets around the country. And they claim to want to restore peace by bombing military and civilian targets all over Georgia?

I do not know who Russia wants to fool but bombing parts of a country far from the conflict region is an act of war, violation of national sovereignty and an act of genocide.