Russia starts pulling back from a "buffer zone" around South Ossetia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia says its troops have started pulling back from a "buffer zone" around Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia.



A BBC correspondent in the area said he saw Russian forces dismantling and leaving one checkpoint they had set up.



Moscow must pull its troops from areas around South Ossetia and Abkhazia - another breakaway region in Georgia - by Friday under a ceasefire deal. Russia has kept troops there since ousting Georgian forces in August.



A number of Russian armored personnel carriers were seen heading towards South Ossetia, news agencies report. The commander of Russian troops on the ground said the withdrawal from all six checkpoints would be completed by the end of the day.



"Everything is completely on track. Everything will be noted and registered in documents," Mayor General Marat Kulakhmetov said.



The Russian withdrawal is being monitored by some 200 European Union observers, BBC reports.



The pull-back was agreed in a ceasefire deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in early August.



But Moscow plans to keep nearly 8,000 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which it has recognized as independent states.