Fierce fighting erupted in Georgia’s breakaway enclave of South Ossetia on Thursday night and Friday morning, and government troops reportedly surrounded Tskhinvali, the region’s capital, following days of clashes with separatist forces in the area.

A senior government minister told Reuters that Georgian forces had surrounded Tskhinvali and were advancing on the city. Temur Iakobashvili, Georgia’s minister for re-integration, said Georgian forces had taken control of five Ossetian villages. Russian news agencies quoted Eduard Kokoity, South Ossetia’s de facto president, as saying the Georgian offensive had failed.