"Georgian forces have temporarily left Tskhinvali as part of a tactical manoeuvre.... They are in positions on the outskirts of Tskhinvali," a spokeswoman for Temur Yakobashvili, the Georgian reintegration minister, said on Sunday.

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull, reporting from the town of Gori, said that the withdrawal began early this morning.

"There have been eyewitness reports that Georgian troop columns have been moving out of Tskhinvali and moving back into Georgian territory," he said.

Eyewitnesses said a large convoy of military vehicles carrying soldiers and towing heavy artillery was seen travelling south on Sunday through the village of Ergneti, south of Tskhinvali.

The city has been ravaged by fierce battles since Friday, when Georgian troops launched an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia.

Russia responded by sending in tanks and troops and bombing Georgian territory.

The fighting is said to have left hundreds dead.

Georgia's interior ministry said that Russia has brought 6000 troops into its territory and another 4000 Russian troops are arriving by sea, allegedly preparing for an invasion on Sunday.
 
Earlier, Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, said his country is officially at war with Russia.

Russian air raid

Georgia has said that Russian planes bombed an airport attached to an aircraft manufacturing plant located 15km from  Tbilisi, its capital.

A Georgian interior ministry spokesman said the attack inflicted some damage to its runways but caused no casualties.

While there has been no offical Russian response to the alleged bombing of the airport, Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher said injuries had occurred.

"Five people have been injured in what appears to be a Russian air raid," he said reporting from the scene.

"When you speak to people here,  they have no idea why this place would be targeted, while there are military parts housed here, it is not a military base ... some say that perhaps there may have been confusion on the Russian side."

Inside Georgian territory, Russian jets carried out up to five raids targeting military installations around the town of Gori, about 30km outside South Ossetia, on Saturday.

South Ossetia deaths

A spokeswoman for South Ossetia's separatist government said on Sunday that at least 20 people were killed and 150 wounded by Georgian shelling overnight in Tskhinvali, the regional capital.

Irina Gagloyeva said Georgian forces "fired on Tskhinvali methodically all night. But for now, a relative calm has settled in the city".

"The city is almost fully destroyed. Civilians left in the city are hiding in bomb shelters and basements," she said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council met for a third time on Saturday to discuss the situation.

Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, said a ceasefire "would not be a solution".

"The fighting is still going on. The Georgian forces are continuing to be on the South Ossetian territory," he said.

"The Georgian forces must pull out of South Ossetia.

"And then they must accept the need to sign an agreement on non-use of force with South Ossetians."

Fighting in Abkhazia