Georgian Official: Russian Troops Leaving Gori

TBILISI, Georgia — Georgia’s security council chief says Russian troops are leaving the strategic city of Gori.

Alexander Lomaia says “we are seeing the pullback of Russian troops” from Gori, a key crossroads in central Georgia.

Gori’s regional governor said earlier that 40 Russian military vehicles left Gori today, heading north.

Under the cease-fire deal, Russian forces are to pull back to positions they held before intense fighting broke out August 7 in South Ossetia, a separatist province in Georgia that has close ties to Russia.

The short but intense war on Russia’s southern border has deeply strained relations between Russia and the West.