Combined forces from the Georgian Defense Ministry, State Security Ministry, and the Interior Ministry Border Guard Department launched a security operation on 2-3 October along the northern Georgian border. Officials from the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, and Russian security representatives monitored the operation, which centered on the Georgian border with Ingushetia and Daghestan, as well as the Pankisi Gorge. Georgian State Security Minister Vano Merabishvili said \"the operation aims to show that Georgia\'s law enforcement bodies have the situation in control, and there is no chance for terrorists and paramilitary units to find shelter.\" (ITAR-TASS)