Efforts to control bandit country

A Georgian Interior Ministry soldier guards a check-point in the Pankisi Gorge

TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) -- The U.S. this week confirmed it was sending military trainers to Georgia to help the local army combat the lawlessness of the Pankisi Gorge where bandits, drug smugglers, Chechen fighters and al Qaeda allies are suspected to be holed up.

CNN's Jill Dougherty explains what U.S. interests are in the area and the response of Russia, Georgia's big neighbour.

CNN: What is the sudden fuss surrounding Georgia?

JD: The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that they are considering sending military trainers to Georgia -- like about 100 to 200 people. There were some indications about this but eventually the Pentagon confirmed it this week after reports were coming out of Georgia.

They will be training only, and will not be fighting themselves. This is the first public knowledge we have had of the plans.

VIDEO CNN's Jill Dougherty reports U.S. troops may be headed to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia (February 28) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES Georgia welcomes U.S. training    RESOURCES • Timeline: Georgia after the Soviet Union  • Timeline: Chechnya after the Soviet Union    MORE STORIES Moscow alarm at U.S.'s Georgia aid  Georgia: Caucasus flashpoint  U.S. troops may head to republic of Georgia

The reason they both want to do this is that this is an area of lawlessness. The Pankisi Gorge is an area of extreme instability -- it has everything from Chechen fighters who have come over the border, to bandits, kidnappers, armed traffickers and also fighters who are allied with al Qaeda.

They have not necessarily come from Afghanistan, but authorities are saying that the number of what they call foreign fighters in the country has increased since the war in Afghanistan.

There was a rumour that Osama bin Laden was here, but that is unlikely.

The area is completely out of the control of the federal government and has been for some time. It is very destabilising. The president of Georgia did not do a lot about it because he has been struggling to deal with other issues such as breakaway areas.

It has reached a critical time. Georgia asked the U.S. for help and Washington was happy to provide it. The U.S. certainly wants the area to be stabilised, and it would rather Georgia cooperates with itself than Russia on anti-terrorism.

CNN: Has the U.S. only decided now to send military trainers?

JD: It has been a long time in preparation -- even if officials have only confirmed it this week. For example, a small team consisting of one military person and six contractors have been training the Georgians on how to use helicopters since late November. A month before that, the U.S. had sent an assessment team to figure out what Georgians would need for this training programme.

The new delegation was supposed to be here in January, but will now probably be here soon. Sources say they should be here for between three to six months.

CNN: How serious is the threat of al Qaeda allies and Chechen fighters in the country -- what are the numbers?

JD: Figures have not been released for the al Qaeda allies. One Western official said that the numbers of fighters from other countries -- not Chechens -- had increased since 09/11, but there are no figures.

No figures exist for the number of Chechen fighters either, but there are about 7,000 Chechen refugees here who have been allowed into the country after war broke out in Chechnya in 1999.

CNN: How did Georgia's big neighbour Russia react to having U.S. troops on its doorstep?

JD: The official comment coming from the Russian foreign ministry was quite negative, with regards to exacerbating the situation. But U.S. officials say that behind the scenes Russia is not that disturbed. They have been briefed for some time, and knew it was going to happen.

CNN: Could it unravel into a traditional Cold War conflict?

JD:The Georgian president has been coming under pressure from both Russia and the U.S. to tackle the problems of the gorge.

It is a very different situation to the Cold War situations, such as Vietnam, where the U.S. went in. They are not entering the country in the traditional sense to build up stations in Georgia -- it is not that kind of thing.

It has been described as a third-front in the war on terrorism. Technically it is, but we are not talking about troops coming in with guns blazing. It is a very limited programme.

The U.S. is not taking upon itself to fight or put in security measures. And the people on the street feel happy that the U.S. are coming. They are a little nervous about what Russia will do, but ultimately Georgia has to take this action. They see it as supporting the transformation of Georgia.

They feel this is a small country and this training will give it more respect and power. It should protect its borders and sovereignty against possible encroachment from Russia which has always looked to play a role here.

CNN: What are the U.S. interests in the region?

JD: Georgia already has one pipeline and they are going to build a gas pipeline which will cross the whole country. These resources are one reason, but also Georgia was part of the old Soviet Union, acting as one of the most important republics. Stalin was from Georgia and a lot of government and business people have come from the region.

It is also key to providing stability in the region, which has been troubled by the ethnic festering wound of Chechnya.

Georgia sees itself as part of the West, so the U.S. wants to take advantage of that and exert some influence to combat terrorism, that has come up unexpectantly.

The U.S. has supported Georgia for many years -- Georgia is a member of the Partnership for Peace, with joint training though it is not a full member of NATO.