Mamuka Kurashvili, the Chief of the Peacekeeping Operations Headquarters of the Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces in 2008, is currently answering questions from members of the “Temporary Investigative Commission to Investigate the Activities of the Regime and Its Political Officials from 2003 to 2012.”
Tea Tsulukiani, the head of the commission, inquired about Kurashvili’s awareness of the situation, asking: “As soon as you heard on TV that the other side began evacuating on August 1, you mentioned realizing you were alone. If you felt isolated, our population was even more vulnerable. Did you have the authority to at least raise an alarm to minimize casualties among civilians? If this was within your responsibilities, what actions did you take?”
Kurashvili responded by explaining that their primary goal was to prevent conflict. “We were trying to avoid conflict until the very last moment. When an operation begins, it is essential to issue warnings and facilitate evacuations,” he stated.
Commission member Ilia Injia then asked whether an earlier evacuation would have led to more or fewer casualties. Kurashvili replied, “There would have been fewer victims.”
He also noted that he had informed the Joint Staff about evacuating civilians from the conflict zone. “How could you imagine that the Security Council could act without the General Staff, raising alarms and knocking on doors? We were doing everything we could to avoid conflict until the last moment. If you initiate an operation, you must give warnings and evacuate,” Kurashvili reiterated.
In the Parliament of Georgia, the seventh session of the temporary investigative commission studying the activities of the “United National Movement” is underway.
Today, the commission will also hear from former State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Giorgi Khaindrava, his deputy from 2004-2006 Giorgi Volski, and Irakli Batiashvili.
