President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia reclaimed control of the breakaway region of Ajaria on Thursday, making a dramatic announcement in the middle of the night that its rebellious leader had fled the country after months of threatening a civil war. Just hours earlier, Abashidze had vowed on television not to leave his post. But he relented after a negotiating session at his residence with a Russian envoy dispatched to defuse the crisis, according to accounts from Georgia. By 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Abashidze had left Ajaria without making a public statement, after thousands of opponents turned out on the streets of Batumi, the regional capital, and some members of his police and military joined their side. Full Story