MOSCOW (Reuters) - A heavily armed gang seized up to 400 hostages at a Russian school near Chechnya Wednesday and threatened to kill 50 children for any member of their group killed, a senior local official said.(more...)"They have said that for every fighter wiped out they will kill 50 children and for every fighter wounded -- 20," regional Interior Minister Kazbek Dzantiyev told reporters in Beslan.
[...]
The gang, some strapped with explosives and reported to have mined the school grounds, later set free 15 of the children, Itar-Tass news agency said.At least eight civilians were killed in the attack -- seven of them dying of wounds in hospital, news agencies quoted officials as saying. Nearly 50 children had managed to escape.
Witnesses near the school said sporadic gunfire resounded throughout the day and there was at least one loud unexplained bang from inside the school.
"Every gunshot I hear is like a shot into my heart," said one woman, Vera, tears pouring down her cheeks and whose child was among the hostages.
UPDATE: Eric, like always, finds the soft spots in the major news wires... (Note: E is in bold)
On Rooters...
Religion of Peace Or Why Reuters Is A "News" ServiceOn the Ass Press...MOSCOW (Reuters) - A heavily armed gang seized up to 400 hostages at a Russian school near Chechnya Wednesday and threatened to shoot dead 50 children for any one of their comrades killed, a senior local official said.
Gang? What, the Crips? Bloods? The Luchesse Family? Make no mistake, these are the same Islamofascist scumsuckers that have painted a bullseye on this country, whether Reuters wants to acknowledge it or not.
Close, But No Cigar, Why Not Just Join Michael Moore And Call Them Minutemen?And finally, some advices for Vladsky...The AP version:
BESLAN, Russia (AP) - Armed militants with explosives strapped to their bodies stormed a Russian school in a region bordering Chechnya on Wednesday, corralling hundreds of hostages - many of them children - into a gymnasium and threatening to blow up the building if surrounding Russian troops attacked. At least two people were killed, including a school parent.
To Russia With Loveand kyer kontinues...Dear Vladimir, this is how we do it
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. airstrike late Wednesday targeted a suspected safehouse in Fallujah used by followers of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, U.S. officials said.
Attack Creates Dilemma for PutinAbsolutely not... Number one rule of any free nation on Earth in dealing with terrorists-- Do NOT negotiate with terrorists! Doing so even once, sets a dangerous precedent...thus the reason why the U.S. maintains this practice to this day (unless, of course, JFK II is elected...)
By Simon Saradzhyan - Staff Writer
The hostage-taking drama evolving in North Ossetia has put forth a deadly serious dilemma for President Vladimir Putin, of whether to continue his policy of refusing to negotiate with radical groups in the North Caucasus, or to soften his line and meet some of the hostage-takers' demands, given that the lives of more than 100 children are at stake in this standoff.
I realize children's lives are at stake, nevertheless, giving in once would only affirm the value of utilizing younger hostages...In other words, if using kids is what it takes to get the Kremlin to bend, then so be it.
This is how Putin should continue to operate: (from the same source)
The tactic that Russian police and security agencies have pursued in similar situations is to try to negotiate the release of as many hostages as possible, while giving commandos time to prepare for a storming.However, this hardline stance may have its downside as well...The overall strategy of Putin's anti-terrorism policy has also been invariable and has boiled down to consenting to negotiate only the release of hostages, while firmly refusing to address hostage-takers' other demands, such as the release of suspects from prison, the withdrawal of troops, or peace negotiations with the Chechen rebels.
On one hand, the Kremlin's consent to at least discuss the political demands would help to secure the release of more hostages. On the other hand, such a concession could be interpreted as a sign of weakness and entail not only further concessions but also new hostage-takings by extremist groups looking beyond the independence of Chechnya to the establishment of an entire Islamic state in the North Caucasus.Exactly...
A firm refusal to negotiate is also fraught with consequences in the longer term. Given that a series of deadly attacks, including coordinated raids in Ingushetia in June and a string of suicide bombings in Moscow, has failed to affect the Kremlin's line, the extremists might opt for attacks of catastrophic proportions in the hope that the greater casualties and psychological shock would cause a capitulation.If this is the case, Russia may have an even more suitable example to support their claim to their own 9-11. Beyond that, the question remains--will Russia become a more firm ally in the War on Terror?
Intelligence sharing and strong words aside, Moscow may be forced to participate militarily, on the grounds of geographic defense alone. They have their hands full not only with the Chechen crisis, but with separtist Tbilsi (Georgia), too.
The election of pro-Kremlin candidate Alu Alkhanov, who won 74 percent of the vote in Chechnya's presidential election, may present a dilemma in and of itself. Alkhanov replaces the other Kremlin-backed president, Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in a bomb attack last spring.
And finally...
Just substitute Donald for Sergei, Bush for Putin, and America for Russia, and this part should ring a bell...
When commenting on the bombing of the two airliners and the suicide attack, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who is close to Putin, told Russian reporters early Wednesday morning that international terror networks have declared war on Russia.Sound familiar?"In fact, a war has been declared on Russia, a war where there is no front line and the enemy cannot be seen," Ivanov said.
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Chechens Elect Alkhanov
By Timur Aliev
Again, from Eric...(Note: again, V is in bold, and scroll 3/4 of the way thru the post)
My, Aren't We Insensitive To Women's Rights
BESLAN, Russia (AP) - Camouflage-clad commandos carried crying babies away from a school where gunmen holding hundreds of hostages freed at least 26 women and children Thursday during a second day of high drama that kept crowds of distraught relatives on edge.In the world of AP, they've gone from "militants" to just plain "gunmen," (conveniently ignoring the several female terrorists also inside). Seeing that Reuters and AP are in a race to see who can avoid calling a terrorist a terrorist the most, here's my version of what we'll probably see from Reuters tomorrow:
BESLAN, Russia (Reuters) - Camouflage-clad jackbooted thugs carried ruthless occupiers away from a school where members of the Vienna Boys Choir holding hundreds of capitalist pigs freed at least 26 women and failed abortions Thursday during a second day of high drama that kept crowds of overreacting relatives on edge.
Posted by Kyer at September 1, 2004 03:17 PM