Over thousand Dagestan volunteers ready to go to South Ossetia

Today in Dagestan, the city of Khasavyurt has hosted a mass rally in support of South Ossetia. Volunteers are being signed up, and residents are gathering humanitarian assistance for the Ossetian people.

Over a thousand took part in the rally. The leaders of Khasavyurt and ordinary residents have expressed their support to the people of South Ossetia.

A humanitarian action was also launched here - people are bringing foodstuffs, clothes and medicines. Representatives of the city administration have declared that they are ready to send a batch of building materials to South Ossetia.

Arsen Murtazaliev, head of the city's administration of Khasavyurt, has reported that already about 500 persons have recruited as volunteers, and during the day over a thousand more Dagestanians are ready to sign up. Almost all the volunteers were members of the Home Guard, who in 1999 had defended, within the ranks of the international brigade, Dagestan, when Khattab and Basaev formations intruded the Republic.

Residents of Dagestan condemn the Georgia's policy towards South Ossetia. "Why should peaceful people suffer from Georgian leaders' aggressive policy?" Albina, a resident of Makhachkala, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "For centuries, Caucasian nations lived in friendship and peace, now it pains to look at all this."

It is expected that similar protest actions will take place in Makhachkala and other cities of Dagestan.