US denies its volunteers fought with Georgia

The US Embassy has denied Russian investigators' claims that American volunteers fought on Georgia's side in its war against Russia. The embassy press office issued a statement Wednesday saying it did not know of any US citizens serving as mercenaries in the Georgian armed forces during the war. The embassy also repeated past statements that no American military personnel were in the war zone or involved in the fighting. Russian investigators said Tuesday that volunteers from the US took part in the August fighting over the separatist province of South Ossetia. Russia says 162 South Ossetia residents were killed along with 48 Russian servicemen. Georgia says it lost 169 soldiers and police, and 69 civilians.