Russian Innocents Killed by Terrorists Climb to 150 or More

AP ^ | 9/3/2004

[ezfindit]

Russians Storm School; 150 May Be Dead By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer

BESLAN, Russia - Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia and battled separatist rebels holding 1,200 hostages, as crying children, some naked and covered in blood, fled through explosions and gunfire. An official said the death toll could be significantly higher than 150.

Three of the separatist rebels were reportedly still blockaded in a school basement, trading fire with security forces. A Federal Security Service official said militants were still holding hostages — children among them.

Hours after much of the school was secured late Friday afternoon, a large explosion erupted from the school toward nightfall, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Ten militants were killed in the violence, including nine Arabs, an aide to President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said, according to the Interfax news agency. The Arab presence among the attackers would support Putin's contention that al-Qaida terrorists were involved in the Chechen conflict, where Muslim fighters have been fighting Russian forces in a brutal a war of independence for most of the past decade.

The chaotic climax to the hostage standoff began when explosions collapsed part of the school roof and gunfire erupted from inside the building where the militants, some with explosives strapped to their bodies, stormed the school Wednesday moring.

The militants — demanding independence for nearby Chechnya — kept the hostages, mostly women and children, in the sweltering gymnasium, refusing to let in food or water.

"They didn't let me go to the toilet for three days, not once. They never let me drink or go to the toilet," Teimuraz, the escaped hostage told APTN.

After the hostage-takers fled, more than 100 bodies were found in the gymnasium, some apparently killed when part of the school's roof collapsed in the explosion that prompted the Russian security forces to move in.

A Putin aide said the total death toll could be singificantly more than 150 people. An estimated 520 people were wounded, health officials said. The regional health minister earlier reported that at least 218 children were wounded.

Aslanbek Aslakhanov, Putin's top aide on Chechnya, said security forces did not plan to storm the building, but were prompted to move when the hostage-takers set off explosions early Friday afternoon. Witnesses said the militants opened fire on fleeing hostages and then began to escape themselves.

Gunfire rang out for hours as security forces chased hostage-takers, who split into small groups as they fled. Interfax and the ITAR-Tass news agency reported the three militants holed up in the basement may include the head of the group. Another group took refuge in a nearby house where tanks moved in.

Huge columns of smoke rose from the school. Windows were shattered, part of roof was gone and another part was charred. Commandos, residents and journalists scurried around the building and soldiers climbed inside through a lower floor window, all the glass missing.

People ran through the streets, and the wounded were carried off on stretchers. An Associated Press reporter saw ambulances speeding by, the windows streaked with blood. Four armed men in civilian clothes ran by, shouting, "A militant ran this way."

Soldiers and men in civilian clothes carried children — some naked, some clad only in underpants, some covered in blood — to a temporary hospital set up behind an armored personnel carrier. One child had a bandage on her head, others had bandaged limbs. Some women, newly freed from the school, fainted.

The children drank eagerly from bottles of water given to them once they reached safety. Many of the children were naked or only partly clothed because of the stifling heat in the gymnasium.

"I am helping you," a man dressed in camouflage told a crying girl. Women gathered around, trying to soothe her, saying "It's all right. It's all right."

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 before the main assault began.

The White House branded the hostage-taking "barbaric" and "despicable" and said responsibility for dozens of lost lives rests with the terrorists. "The United States stands side-by-side with Russia in our global fight against terrorism," spokesman Scott McClellan said. ...

Militants opened fire on fleeing hostages and security forces returned fire. Once the hostage-takers sought to escape, Russian officials apparently made the decision to storm the building.

The militants had reportedly threatened to blow up the building if authorities tried to storm it, but all indications suggested the explosions began before the assault. Russian officials repeatedly said they were not planning to invade and had earlier won the release of 26 hostages through negotiations. Negotiators said the hostage-takers had repeatedly refused offers of food and water througout the standoff.

"They are very cruel people, we are facing a ruthless enemy," said Leonid Roshal, a pediatrician involved in the negotiations. "I talked with them many times on my cell phone, but every time I ask to give food, water and medicine to the hostages they refuse my request."

[ahayes]

This is awful. I remember when the Spanish trains were bombed a lot of people sent flowers to the embassies. I think we should do that here also.

[Robert_Paulson2]

Terrorism and killing of children should be condemned regardless of the religious orientation of the perpetrator or victim.

---

that is because your coward muslim 'freedom fighters' routinely surround themselves with children, for propaganda purposes and are themselves SOLELY responsible for their dead children. They are guilty of killing their OWN children and then use it as an excuse to practice their terrorist techniques on unarmed, unrelated children, in the conflict.

Chechen muzzies were responsible for murdering their own kids. And it is the case EVERYWHERE islam is allowed to exist. THEY use their own kids as human shields and then cry "atrocity" when they get blown to blazes.

EVERYBODY on the planet knows the jihadi tricks now.
and we ain't buying it.

Chechnya will be severely purged.
So will radical islamists, no matter what spider hole they craw into.

[PigRigger]

This picture will be with me for the rest of my life.

How do you say goodbye to your child?

[jimbo123]

Whenever someone starts quoting "international human rights organizations" we know they are terrorist sympathizers. You just blew your cover Mr. Bin Laden.

[laconic]

Ten of the, now fortunately dead scum, terrorists were Arabs. They did not allow the children to use the toilets for three days. They allowed them NO WATER. They forced them to drink their own urine from the bottles they allowed them to urinate in. They forced them to stand incessantly without food or drink. They used them as human shields when they tried their cowardly escape from the school. What moral or historical equivalence are you talking about, Mister?

[jimbo123]

Alberlooney is an America-hating muslim.

[Publius6961]

One good way to generate new recruits for the salamikazes is to give them grievances -- indiscriminate killing of Chechen civilians being one of them. Should the Russians respond in kind, it is highly doubtful that the Chechens will calmly recognize the symmetry between this atrocity, and what the Russians would subsequently do.

I don't care if they do or not.
Even the death of children (who, only below a certain age, are the only "innocents") when forced to remain among the murdering sandmaggot scum using them as shields is not "indiscriminate". Nice try though, sandmaggot apologist. See my post 194.

[ellery]

International human rights organizations have said a lot of things that turn out not to be true -- for example, the Jenin "massacre." They have shown too much political motivation to be believed. The US and all other governments likewise condemn things because of political motivation.

I have not seen proof that Russia deliberately targeted, hunted down and killed Chechen children (if they did, I would consider it terrorism). I have, however, seen plenty of proof that Arab-allied terrorists' MO is to hide behind their children, thereby getting those poor children killed when the terrorists are attacked. In cases like that, I blame the terrorists themselves for their kids' deaths.

Do you agree?

[Frank_Discussion]

"Hello. The difference between bombing a city with schools and bombing a school is that when you bomb a city you hit many schools."

I am not a military man, but I have enough sense to know that bombing runs are often designed to miss schools and similar targets of non-military value. So your statement is not necessarily true. As a matter of diplomacy and psy-ops, it's not in Russia's interest to purposely bomb children, and they have the wherewithal to manage themselves.

"These Chechen terrorists have non-Chechen allies."

Are you saying that the Chechens hired mercenary forces to do this for them? That does not sound very likely, if this is merely a response to Russian actions. Likewise, it shows that this is a wider war against an organized islamic terrorist menace.

[CodeJockey]

John McCain was right when he stated something to the effect that we have two choices when dealing with this Islamic vermin

War or something much worse

[ezfindit]

re: What moral or historical equivalence are you talking about, Mister? right on!!! Excellent points!! Truth will prevail!

[Neocon Shavuz]

I disagree. Your example is good, I admit, but that situation is different. I think we have to maintain the moral superiority. Otherwise we would kill each other's children without a reason. Animal kingdom.

I will not be able to kill children. I hope neither will you.

[TASMANIANRED]

"Islam is a religion of peace"

What evidence to you offer for this blatant delusion.

There has never been peace where Islam comes in contact with any other non Islamic culture.

Islam is a death cult. It worships blood shed especially of innocents.

[jimbo123]

These "International human rights organizations" did not condemn Bin Laden's attack on the U.S., nor Saddam Hussein's genocides. These "international human rights organizations" are Al Qaeda's best friends.

[TASMANIANRED]

Prayer for you and yours.

[archy]

Four armed men in civilian clothes ran by, shouting, "A "Four armed men in civilian clothes ran by, shouting, "A militant ran this way." "

'A militant ran this way', now dear reader do you really believe this is how the Russians hunting these rabid Muslim dogs used that term.

The likely word used by the Russian troops was dukhai.

[Centurion2000]

You are advocating genocide. And you think terrorism is evil?

You're damned right I am .... muslims have brought this on themselves and DESERVE it.

[don-o]

I used to agree with the Chechens, thinking the Russians were oppressing them for no good reason.

I have a Russian friend (Khazakstan.) He say "Chechnya, very bad people."

[ezfindit]

Yep, I think it's time for the "much worse" to kick in, otherwise these demons will start getting more and more ideas from each other and spread the mayhem even further. The longer the just fail to act, the more innocence will suffer.

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