Bloody end to Russia school siege

[OneBlueSky]

Russian troops have stormed the school in North Ossetia where hundreds of children and adults have been held hostage since Wednesday.

Some reports say all the hostages have now been brought out of the school, but there are continuing scenes of chaos.

Heavy gunfire and loud explosions were heard as ambulances rushed scores of casualties to nearby hospitals.

Unconfirmed reports say that at least 10 people have been killed and up to 200 wounded.

- more . . . with photos . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3624024.stm

[LittleApple81]

1. Remember the theater in Moscow? The hostages were killed to

liberate them... ultimate liberation.
I know it is a horrible situation... and the victims are innocents caught in a web of government and terrorist lies and violence.
I am so sorry for everybody who was caught like this.

[JuniorPlankton]

2. Things done Russian style, again

Most of the wounded are still in the school, the military needs to check their IDs.
Just yesterday this bastard Putin assured everybody that no storm plan is being considered.

Apparently, he said the same before they stormed that Moscow theater.

[russian33]

5. The reason they started storming...

..is because there were number of explosions in the school, the roof started to collapse, and the terrorists starting escaping

[Tempest]

13. That's not what BBC is saying

There is no indication explosions were going on before the storming of the school.

[Longhorn79]

60. MSNBC says they stormed due to explosions

as well as fleeing children being shot at.

[LisaL]

8. Well

Would you declare that you would storm it so the terrorists would know it and maybe start killing of hostages or be prepared?

[JuniorPlankton]

11. May be not

May be I would keep quiet about it.
It's just when you consistently lie, people stop believing you.

[LibLabUK]

9. Err

"Just yesterday this bastard Putin assured everybody that no storm plan is being considered."

Because as everyone knows terrorists don't watch TV.

:eyes:

[Yupster]

71. I don't think there was a storm plan yet

That's why it was botched so badly.

If it had been planned, it would have ended much quicker than it did once the storming began.

[BootinUp]

3. Looks bad

Russia will keep the gory details quiet as long as possible.

[emad]

4. In pictures: BBC News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/3624126.stm

[tlcandie]

33. Thanks... I just woked up and I'm crying me eyes out ...

The terror in the faces of those children and the little red-headed child, dead, being covered.

I'm done with news for today. There is much too much sadness, anger, despair, hostility in the world today.

I want off the merry-go-round. :cry:

[w4rma]

38. Caption on the last slide: At least 100 bodies have reportedly been found…

At least 100 bodies have reportedly been found in the school and over 400 people were injured during the heavy gun battle.

[emad]

6. I watched this on BBC News and wept. Someone being interviewed

said we should remember that this can be no worse - albeit maybe slightly less macabre - than what has happened to the Iraqi children and their parents since Bush and Blair decided their vanity and bloodlust for Churchillian re-election status meant it was ok to plunder Iraq for its oil in the name of democracy.

[ps1074]

7. CNN reporting eyewitness

saying 100 dead bodies inside the gymnasium.

The eyewitness is CNN's russian camera man.

[emad]

10. "Up to 100 bodies in gym": Times

School siege ends after troops storm building
By Times Online and Agencies

'100 dead in gymnasium'
Five women and children killed
310 people injured
Five rebels killed/13 escape

Snip:
The Russian school siege ended in bloody chaos today after special forces stormed the gymnasium where around 20 captors have been holed up in Beslan, North Ossetia.At least four children and a woman were reportedly killed during the assault, and five of the Chechen hostage-takers were also said to be dead. Earlier it was reported that 10 bodies had been removed from inside the school.

There are unconfirmed reports this afternoon that there are 100 dead bodies in the gymnasium.

Russian troops were said to be in control of the school complex and military engineers were reported to be removing a network of mines laid by the captors around the school.

But gunfire could be heard hours after the assault that began at 1pm local time (10am BST) and lasted 45 minutes. Up to 13 of the captors broke out of the school building and are believed to have taken refuge in a nearby house, where a gun battle is continuing. The toll of injured was 310, according to Itar-Tass news agency. Some 110 had been evacuated to a hospital the larger town of Vladikavkaz, 30 km away, while the remaining 200 were being treated in Beslan's two hospitals.

Jeremy Page, The Times correspondent in Beslan, said: "The incident seems still to be going on sporadically. Explosions and heavy bursts of machine-gun fire are still erupting, from different directions"The hostage-takers have moved out of the school. I have just been to the hospital, where apparently 150 children were brought in, although it is very difficult to confirm figures here."One hospital reported that it had received 69 child casualties, five of them gravely ill. The injured hostages seemed to be suffering from burns, probably sustained in explosions inside the building, as well as bleeding, possibly from bullet wounds.
More:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1245663,00.html

[HuckleB]

12. Putin's iron fist has failed

Putin's iron fist has failed

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1296817,00.html

[quaoar]

14. The Russians apparently don't have the patience

To negotiate or wait out the hostage-takers. The only thing they know how to do is storm the building. A few hundred dead is acceptable.

[johnfunk]

19. I don't think the Russian gov't or peiople find these losses "acceptable"

In fact, I have ahunch that Putin just might be looking for open -- or even dirty -- retribution (see below).

[politicat]

40. After the 1994 hospital siege, when Yeltsin DID negotiate,

He got all sorts of flack for doing it.

The Russian leadership is in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation.

I was in Kiev during the 1994 siege, and the Russian mentality is far different than ours. It's not that people are disposable - children especially - but that the Chechnyan separatists are far more hated than we can possibly understand. Chechnya is in a permanent state of near civil war, and it spills over. There's also a cultural lack of patience with both government and military; there's also a cultural attitude that doing something is better than doing nothing (and talking, when it's nonproductive is doing nothing.) Needless to say, psychology is not much used....

It was very interesting to compare their response to our Waco to their own responses to hostage situations. We do negotiate, usually past the point where it's useful. They just don't. Once it's no longer a functioning conversation, they quit and do something else.

Huge cultural differences. We're not better because we do it our way; if they'd waited much longer, there would have been 1500 deaths. The school had no water.

Death by dehydration is about 72 hours.

Politicat

[Ilsa]

55. I don't know much about the issues they are facing,

or if or how it affects the US. I take it there is internal strife over leadership and disingaging from the Russian republic?

Any comments or links (I have a few already) will help me understand this better.

[HuckleB]

57. A few that will also lead you to more...

in play in Chechnya.

FYI --

http://www.ccharm.org/news/article30.htm

AND


http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1213034,00.html

AND

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1296220,00.html

AND

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,859806,00.html

AND

http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2004/09/01/terror.shtml

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/kuhner.htm

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/zbrzezinski.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/west/12-10-03.htm

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/koshmel.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/osgood.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/putley.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/boston.html

AND

http://www.theoathbook.com/op-ed.php

and on and on and on...

[Ilsa]

59. Thanks. They are also covering some background

on The Newshour with JL. These links will help. I've bookmarked this thread so I can read this over the next day or so when my kids give me a break.

[Yupster]

72. Wasn't the water part weird?

The terrorists must have known the kids would die without water. Hell, who could stand to see kids without water?

So why would they turn down water for the kids? You'd think they'd want negotiations, and they knew the government couldn't negotiate with kids going without water.

I don't get this part. Were the terrorists just ignorant of dehydration? or were they just there to make aq statement and kill everyone?

[politicat]

76. I don't know if we know who cut off the water.

That's a rather standard tactic I seem to recall in dealing with hostage situations. Kill power, kill water. So I thought that the Gov forces cut those utilities to force them out into the open. I seem to recall that Waco was similar - but they had a well.

Pcat

[emad]

15. BBC News graphics of school layout

1 - At 0850GMT a vehicle from the Emergencies Ministry is sent in to retrieve the bodies of those killed at the start of the siege
2 - A small number of the children being held hostage escape from the building. The attackers start firing at the children to try to block their escape. In response the Russian troops surrounding the school fire at the attackers
3 - A series of explosions rock the school gymnasium, bringing the roof of the building down
From:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3624024.stm

[RedEarth]

16. Russians Storm School; 100 Bodies Found 14 minutes ago yahoo

BESLAN, Russia - Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia and battled separatist rebels holding hundreds of hostages, as crying children, some naked and covered in blood, fled through explosions and gunfire. More than 100 bodies were reportedly found in the gymnasium where hostages had been held.


The extent of the casualties was not immediately known. The militants, who had been demanding independence for nearby Chechnya (news - web sites), had been keeping up to 1,500 hostages — mostly women and children — in the sweltering gymnasium for more than two days.


A cameraman for the British network ITN reported seeing around 100 bodies in the gym. The correspondent for Russia's Interfax news agency reported that there were dozens of bodies in the school, including about 100 in the gym, and that some were killed when the building's roof collapsed from an explosion.


Other casualties were reported when militants opened fire on hostages as they fled the building and in fighting that went on for several hours afterward. Russian forces killed five of the hostage-takers, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. More than 400 people were wounded, including at least 180 children.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20040903/ap_on_re_eu/russia_school_seizure

[Radius]

17. Other consideration

If hostages were being shot they would have stormed. I would bet they had fiber optic cameras in the building. This was used in the theater and is used here.

The FBI uses the same rules. I'm sure you have seen the video where they stormed a department store when the hostage takers began shooting hostages. A hostage was accidentally shot by HRT. The hostage takers were responsible for her death.

Putin would have had no choice. Putin did not take the hostages. Using children to further your cause and get some air time is evil. My thoughts are with the kids. I hope there is a hell, so the hostage takers can burn. Fucking criminal, child murdering bastards.

Like their aren't any military targets in Russia they could hit. Killing children instills fear and terror..

Any prisoners or did they shoot them all?

[histohoney]

25. 100 dead in gym

Considering the heat and lack of water, I am thinking some of the dead are from heat and or dehydration.
Yes I am sure some were shot (The hostage takers were shotting at the children as the tried to run to safety.)
I am not saying the Military has no blame, I'm not saying they had no other choices either. It's way to early and chaotic to really understand what has happened just yet.
One thing is clear, if no one had taken the children hostage at gun point NON of this would have happened. The majority of the blame goes to the hostage takers.

[johnfunk]

18. Putin's iron fist and bloodthirsty, thuggish Chechen criminals...

It's a volatile mix. Make no mistake, though: Putin gambled the first time (ther theatre stand-off in Moscow) and lost.

This time, I have a hunch that one of the hostage-taking bullies may have blundered and triggered the bloodbath -- I'm not being so quick as to blame the Russian forces this time. And I find it kind of hard to second-guess Russian troops who are quite literally at the door of the crime and on a hair-trigger.

The only thing that is certain is that this debacle is going to be Rashomoned to death in the media.

And call me a cynic, but don't be surprised if, say, everyone in a village full of Muslims in Chechnya, probably in a town tied to violent resistance in one way or another, turns up dead one morning -- with no sign of who did it or how it happened, and copious plausible deniability on the part of Russia -- maybe even evidence of a "feud" within Chechen militant circles. Some analysts feel Putin could well go down that road, and he's reputedly down'n'dirty enough tyo consider a "dirty war".

[Radius]

20. IMHO

Any person who funded or supported this logistically is a military target, a non uniformed combatant, and not subject to protection under the geneva convention.

Russia has the right to respond, harshly. Killing villagers will not be the response. But the rebel leaders will targeted.

[natrat]

26. i'll take putin

over shrub in a heartbeat-at least it appears putin cares for his country

[Aidoneus]

34. Killing villagers WILL be the response

it always is..

[Radius]

21. Dead men walking.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1296488,00.html

Maybe russia will begin killing their wifes as well since the "resistance" has weaponized them?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

36. Wives? Weaponized? What the @#$%& are you talking about? (nt)

[sangh0]

42. They're called "Black Widows"

They're the widows of Chechen men who were killed by the Russians. They have nothing to live for, so they become suicide bombers.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

44. I'm not sure that's what he's talking about

And if it is, why use this weird term? If someone decides to become a terrorist, their sex, or being X's or Y's or Z's wife (or widow) is irrelevant.

No, he's speaking code. And I suspect the encoded thing is not pretty. In FR, I lurked threads in which people were advocating extermination of any terrorist's EXTENDED family. Radius' thoughts appear to be frighteningly in tune with that.

[Radius]

45. Black Widows

was what I was talking about. This is well known, they blow themselves up in train stations and at rock concerts, killing civilians.

I'm no freeper, simply pointing out by dragging their women into this they only make them legitimate targets.

I didn't coin the term, that goes to the MSM.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

48. Your post strongly suggests

That they start killing terrorists' wives regardless of evidence, on the assumption that they will become terrorists themselves.

What it doesn't suggest is that you have a problem with that.

I repeat: If someone decides to become a terrorist, their sex, or being X's or Y's or Z's wife (or widow) is irrelevant.

[Radius]

49. no

If thea person has no involvement in a crime or act of war they are not a combatant. If they had prior knowledge they are subject to conspiracy and probably death in russia or the us. if we plan to kill someone and I give you the gun and you pull the trigger. We are both capitol offenders here.

By using their wives as killers they are making them targets. Millitary response tends to be broad. I don't think a non combatant wife should be targeted. But anyone who is helped with this will be targetted and the russians are not going to concern themselves with human rights. They will err on the violent side.

I'm speculating, not affirming a tactic and the russian countertactic.

[HuckleB]

52. It most definitely did "suggest" that, to be kind.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

67. I always give people the benefit of doubt (nt)

[Longhorn79]

61. It was black widows who blew up the airliners the other week

This term and method of terrorism has been floating around for a while now.

[bpilgrim]

41. like we practice in iraq and worse at ABU GHRAIB taught by israel

look where it got them :scared:

peace

[Radius]

47. American Lens

The russians will do what THEY want. They don't give a shit about israel and iraq.

The people who planned this and executed can hope for death, if the russians catch them they will physically destroy them.

That is my take on a hundred years of russian history. I don't support torture, but thats what these men will get if caught.

If they are smart they will die shooting.

[HuckleB]

51. A rather sick thought, not too mention incredibly sexist.

Yeah, those women can't think for themselves; they're being told to kill themselves, or else.

:eyes:

[Radius]

64. I'm all for EEOFT

I don't really care what motivates someone to explode themselves in a crowd of civilians or on an airliner. Once they form that intent they cease being human and become a weapon, an object, subject to countermeasure. Man, woman, or wombat.

My point is that by becoming combatants they have validated use of force against themselves.

How russia applies this and to whom are to be seen. But my opinion is that it greys the line between civilian and combatant. Not as bad as using kids but not all that great.

Rolling in womens rights issues with mass murder is kinda funny though.

[HuckleB]

77. You intimated that they couldn't decide for themselves.

That says a lot about your thinking process.

What's interesting about your argument is that these people are under constant attack and terror via Russian troops, which is something that is actually popular in Russia, so doesn't that then "validate force against (those supporting said terror against Chechens)"? By your argument it certainly does. So, it would seem that you would actually support this type of action then? Wow. That's very scary.

[Yupster]

73. But if the Russians didn't storm, they

would have had to within hours anyway. The kids would be shortly dying of dehydration, and the Russians outside would know this. They wouldn't allow that. They would have to attack, though they would have much rather had a plan in place and rehearsed it I'm sure.

[OMGBearisDriving]

22. an awful mess

but im not going to hang putin over this. Letting those assholes sit there with children... fucking cowardly.

i mourn the loss, but something had to be done. negotiating and waiting for them... just wasnt going to get anything accomplished.

[bmbmd]

23. My heart is broken.

Who can lead us to peace?


We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us, me, and you
Is that the Russians love their children too

[Swamp Rat]

24. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x798573

[yellowcanine]

27. Oh shit - this is terrible. Russians seem to have a knack for this.

Those poor kids.

[janx]

28. Why were so many of these poor kids only wearing underwear?

?

[LisaL]

30. I don't get it either.

Certanly, kids wouldn't go to school dressed like that. Very strange.

[Junkdrawer]

32. Reports say it was hot in the building and the terrorists allowed...

the kids to disrobe...

[MissB]

35. Scared kids, little facilities?

Not too hard to put together. Some of them were quite young.

[Yupster]

74. From what I've read

the kids took off their clothes because it was stifling hot. The were forced to sit with their knees tucked under their chins for three days straight without air-conditioning with hundreds of people packed shoulder to shoulder without water.

I'm sure stripping to your underwear was a tiny bit of relief for a kid sitting in a hot overcrowded room, scared to death without water for three days.

[bluedog]

29. do you realize how this

could have happened on9=11 when bush went to that school?...........many different things could have taken place that day........and the school children were all put in grave danger!

[Radius]

31. Security

Presidents have visited schools for hundreds of years. If you've ever seen the pres' motorcade you will notice there are plenty of men with machine guns.

Most of the time the pres' schedule is not given out in advance.

[kayell]

39. I know I'm going to regret saying this but, Radius, you really, REALLY

need to read up a bit more on that day. The presidents schedule was known. He entered the school building full of children AFTER he was told of the first plane struck. He sat like a deer in the headlights for at the very least 7 well documented (by video) minutes AFTER being told about the second plane. Then he hung around the school full of children for at least another half hour to give a quickie press briefing. During that entire time, he not only was not attending to what should have been his highest priority, but he was also endangering all those children by his very presence.

[Radius]

65. good topic

I don't want to go OT however..If there is a discussion somewhere else I will be glad to toss in my opinion.

thx.

[Kagemusha]

37. The Guardian likes to say that if only Russia had surrendered

years ago that this would never have happened.

And I'm like, look at France and the headscarf law and its Iraq hostages.

If people have a reasonable belief that you might be compelled to change your policy through the doing of evil deeds, they might well do it. That wasn't Osama's intent with 9/11, but it is an issue for 'lesser' nations.

Sure Russia could've surrendered but then there might not be a Russia anymore, and the Russians don't like it.

[HuckleB]

46. There's a big difference between surrender...

And performing ongoing, outright terror of an entire nation, which is what Russian troops have done in Chechnya.

Human Rights groups want the world to recognize that the terror is being perpetrated by all sides. Until that is acknowledged, and the world can send peacekeepers into the area, I don't see a big change happening there.

[saracat]

43. And this is different than our cowboy approach to diplomcy how?

Putin 's IRON FIST is no different thn Bush's WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE. This is the end result.

[HuckleB]

53. Exactly.

And both the "IRON FIST" and "COWBOY" are guilty of despicable terrorist acts, to boot.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1213034,00.html

AND

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1296220,00.html

AND

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,859806,00.html

AND

http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2004/09/01/terror.shtml

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/kuhner.htm

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/zbrzezinski.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/west/12-10-03.htm

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/koshmel.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/osgood.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/putley.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/boston.html

AND

http://www.theoathbook.com/op-ed.php

And, yes, I could go on and on and on...

[Copperred]

50. The cold reality....

All the death aside...and I know that is tough....


Will this fuel a further push to put Russian resources in Chechnia.....or will the Russian people decide Chenynia is not worth holding on to if this never ends....

These people (the terrorists) are politically motivated at the end of the day....

[HuckleB]

56. I think the question is whether or not they put different "resources"

in play in Chechnya.

FYI --

http://www.ccharm.org/news/article30.htm

AND


http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1213034,00.html

AND

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1296220,00.html

AND

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,859806,00.html

AND

http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2004/09/01/terror.shtml

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/kuhner.htm

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/zbrzezinski.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/west/12-10-03.htm

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/koshmel.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/osgood.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/putley.html

AND

http://www.hrvc.net/articles/boston.html

AND

http://www.theoathbook.com/op-ed.php

and on and on and on...

[Yupster]

75. Maybe Russia decides to pull out, but

there will be much blood-letting first. There will be revenge before political decisions are made.

[HuckleB]

54. Statement by The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

We express our deepest condolences and call for an independent transparent international investigation
http://www.chechentimes.org/en/news/?id=21098

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses our deepest condolences to the relatives and friends of all victims of the hostage taking in Beslan. The Chechen nation, having lost 25 % of its population at the hands of the Russian state policy of genocide during the last 10 years, know very well the pain of loosing the loved ones, the horrors of monstrous brutality against innocent defenceless people, children, women and men. There is no a single Chechen whose relatives and friends have not been murdered, tortured or raped by the Russian troops and security services since December 1994.

..."

[TheLastMohican]

58. Those savages are in no position to demand anything

Now where are those carpet bombings, its about damn time.

[bemildred]

63. You don't want this investigated? nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

66. Why should he? Genocide is SO much more fun!

</sarcasm>

[LanternWaste]

68. Ummm....

But carpet bombings would destroy the oil infrastructure which is why the Russians are there in the first place... :eyes:

Yeah... carpet bombing would really win the hearts and minds of the majority of Chechens who wouldn't advocate violence... until their land becomes a target-- then you've suddenly enriched the terrorists ranks by a hundredfold.

[Aidoneus]

69. You're about 5+10 years late for that call

They tried those 'carpet bombings' already. Whole cities that had apartments, markets, hospitals, indeed schools also, reduced to knee-high piles of masonry with for some reason the smell of rotting flesh evetywhere. Didn't seem to work (but, bombing schools and hospitals seems to have been perfectly ok, right? I gues it's only wrong 'sometimes'). So what else do you have to suggest?

Maybe they could round up every male they could find from the age of 12-50, send them through a string of concentration camps for 'interrogation' or execution ... wait, that was tried too and didn't work so well either! Imagine that.

Or maybe they could do that every day of the year and see ... well, no that doesn't seem to be helping.

Torture and mutilation, with the carving of, oh I don't know, swastikas into their chests before throwing a grenade onto a pile of conscious or unconscious prisoners ... you know, that just pisses them off and doesn't prevent shit. I bet it was fun to them, though.

So on and so forth.. No matter what you could dig out of your sick mind, or any of the minds of the indignant, it's been tried already and is probably being done as I speak, and was done last week, last month, last year, and tomorrow as well. Doesn't seem to work--in fact, it seems to be the very reason why progressively more ghastly spectacles are being thrown back, though they can only ever be a small fraction of what flew in the other direction--, and the fact that you're not already aware of at least the 'greatest hits' is just sad.

[HuckleB]

78. My, but the sickness goes on and on.

What racism does to humanity on display here at DU.

[MudBug]

62. It's all just very sad.

Why?

[Aidoneus]

70. early "response"--racist pogrom, apparently--from ingushetiya.ru, +others

Tens of Ingushes taken hostages on the Chermen cross-road
Ingushetiya..Ru, 03.09.2004 18:20

Our correspondent reports that in the village Chermen of the
Prigorodny district of RCO-Alania, also, on the so-called Chermen
circle (krug) where the KPP of MVD of North Osetia is located, tens
of people of Ingush nationality have been taken hostages and taken
away in the unknown direction.

from (in Russian): http://www.ingushetiya.ru/news/4090.html
translated by mariuslab2002: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/message/39877

What this signifies is the predictable response: state-sanctioned mob hysteria that tries to compete in viciousness with whatever provokes it. I could go at length into the business of the Ingush/Osset/Prigorody matter, or instead suggest looking up the Asia Times piece that goes into it in brief.

and this from before, from the same site, same link, & translated by mariuslab2002:
--------------
On the Rossiya channel came out wife of one of the boyeviks

ingushetiya..Ru, 03.09.2004 13:03

Along the channel Rossiya at 1 P.M. came out the wife of fighter
Anzor Issayevich Kodzoyev born in 1977, and she in the Ingush
language asked her husband not to cause harm to children and to take
measures for releasing the hostages.
--------------

Message by the President of the ChRI Aslan Maskhadov to the people
and the President of Ossetia-Alania

Dear brothers! Fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters of the children
and adults, who were killed and injured during these tragic days. On
behalf of the Chechen people and myself, I pesonally express to you
our deep condolences and sympathy.

For understandable reasons, neither I nor my official representatives
are able, to our great regret, to come to fraternal Ossetia in order
to participate in the mourning ceremonies and to visit the injured. I
have no doubts that you feel our solidarity and support. May the Most
High give you patience and courage in this sorrowful hour!

As you know, the Chechen people itself has been living through an
unprecedented tragedy for ten years. The murder of children is the
most pathological thing we know of. We strongly regret that the echo
of the inhuman anti-Chechen war has reached fraternal Ossetia in such
tragic ways.

There cannot be any justification for people who raise their hand
against what is most sacred to us - the life of defenseless children!
And there are no words able to express the full depth of our
indignation at what happened.

Dear Aleksandr Sergeyevich. Please accept our deep condolences once
again. With fraternal sympathy

President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Aslan Maskadov, 3
September, 2004.

Chechenpress, Division of Government Information, 04.09.04

http://chechenpress.com/news/2004/09/04/13.shtml
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/message/39898
(Norbert Strade's 'unauthorized' translation)

[HuckleB]

79. It never ends. -eom-