Georgian Troops Take Control of Most of Rebellious Region : Caucasus: Five people are reported killed as tanks enter the Abkhazian capital of Sukhumi on the Black Sea.

Georgian troops took control of most of the rebellious Abkhazia region on Tuesday, and the republic’s defense minister called on “every Georgian who loves his nation” to support the move.

Tanks and armored vehicles rolled into Sukhumi, capital of the region in western Georgia. Machine-gun fire was heard, and the Interfax news agency said five people were killed.

The fighting in the former Soviet republic--which pits Georgian troops against secessionist Abkhazians--is the latest to be unleashed by the demise of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Moscow’s central control.

Georgian leader Eduard A. Shevardnadze said he sent the troops to flush out supporters of ousted Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Last week, Gamsakhurdia’s followers kidnaped 12 government officials.

But Abkhazians said Georgia was using the kidnapings as an excuse to crush their growing independence movement.

The fighting was complicated by Moscow’s decision to send paratroopers to help evacuate thousands of Russian vacationers from the balmy Black Sea resort.

Georgian guardsmen occupied Abkhazia’s Parliament building, raised a Georgian flag above it and clamped an 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew on the city.

A military council was appointed to govern the region temporarily.

Abkhazian independence leaders, lead by Vladislav Ardzinba, chairman of the regional Parliament, fled Sukhumi to Gudauta, about 25 miles to the north and one of the few cities with an ethnic Abkhazian majority.

Georgian Defense Minister Tengiz Kitovani, arriving at the Abkhazian Parliament building a few hours after the Abkhazian flag had been pulled down and replaced by a Georgian one, compared the military action to the U.S. invasion of Panama.

“Every Georgian who loves his nation will support this step,” Kitovani told reporters.