Russia Says Islamic Militants Trained In Georgia

Russia says Islamist rebels are being trained in neighboring Georgia to launch attacks in Chechnya and other nearby regions.

Russian officials have previously said foreign training and funding has contributed to a surge in violence by Islamist insurgents in recent months in its volatile North Caucasus regions, including Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Daghestan.

Now, the state-run Russian news agency RIA is quoting Russia's deputy interior minister, Arkady Yedelev, as saying these militants are being trained at military bases in Georgia.

He is said to have made the comment in Vladikavkaz, a town in the Russian Caucasus. Yedelev didn't directly accuse the Georgian government of complicity, and did not identify the militants' instructors.

Russia has previously accused Arab fighters of training Chechen rebels, though not in Georgia.