09.05.2009 20:24 | The Sniper Cut Short His Life

The bloody August days took away the lives of many wonderful sons of Ossetia. On August, 9 the heart of Inal Gazzaev gave out. The defender of republic was killed by Georgian sniper. On December, 6 he would be 28. Inal was married, his sick 6-year-old daughter (the child has a congenital cerebral palsy) and two-year-old son stayed fatherless. Inal was the only son of his parents.

During the last two years Inal Gazzaev worked in law machinery. Earlier, in 2003, he joined the civil guard. He took active part in the repulsing of Georgian August aggression.

As Inal`s sister Diana Gazzaeva tells, the attack of armed Georgian forces on South Ossetia caught my brother on his post, where he had been since the August, 6. In the evening of August, 8 he came to visit his parents, who lived at Geroev Street.

That day he sent his wife and children, who had been in village Hvetse, Dzausky area, to North Ossetia. Inal`s sister and the parents took cover from noninterruptible bombardments in the basement of five-storey building. Three their grandchildren (two of them came from St.-Petersburg to Tskhinval for the holidays) were together with them too.

"In the afternoon of August, 8 the Georgian military hardware entered the city, - Diana tells. – Several armored personnel carriers drove along the street near to our house. All of us hid in a cellar expecting the worst. Georgian invaders fired at the apartment houses and at the people who came in their way. Our flat nearly lighted up in result of bombardments. Near to us Georgians hit and burnt the car with the family inside. They tried to flee from the city under siege. The father with the children died in this car.

In the evening Inal came to see us. We very worried about him all along and were very glad to see him safe and unharmed. By this time our guys dislodged the enemy from town. Inal took Amiran Bagaev, who died as a hero during the fight against the enemy, which outnumber them, in his car.

The next day Georgian tanks and infantry entered the city again and went along our street. Having learned about it Inal, armed with a machinegun made his way towards the building of TV together with local guys and several volunteers, who came to the aid from North Ossetia. Inthisareatheygavetheenemybattle”.

The Georgian snipers managed to locate in a building of TV. During the battle one of the snipers shot Inal Gazzaev from a roof of the building. The bullet hit his forehead. Inal died instantly.

“We very worried, when together with the group of guys he went to the front line, joined the battle. The father and mum scared out of their minds as to what might happen. We learnt about Inal`s death from my cousin Mair Sanakoev, who also went together with his young sons to war against Georgian monsters,” - Diana said.

Mair and his sons were wounded during the military operations.

Inal Gazzaev was consigned to the earth in village Hvtse. May he rest in peace! Bless his memory!

Sergei Gazzaev

Translated by Tatiana Inozemtseva