Russian troops halt their drive toward Tbilisi: CNN - Hürriyet

A column of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs) on Wednesday left Gori and headed in the direction of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, an AFP journalist earlier witnessed.

The convoy, comprised of about 60 tanks, APCs and other vehicles, was seen 10 kilometers (six miles) outside Gori heading in the direction of Tbilisi, the journalist said.

Russian soldiers leaned out of the windows of the trucks shouting "Tbilisi! Tbilisi!" and waving Russian flags, AFP reported.

Gori lies about 75 kilometers from Tbilisi.

"Russian tanks have moved into Gori. They have destroyed buildings, there has been looting by Russian troops. They were shooting people," he added in a conference call with reporters.

Russia on Tuesday called a halt to its military operations against Georgia, which centered on the Moscow-backed rebel region of South Ossetia, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy engaged in negotiations with both sides to agree a peace plan.