Posted on 09/03/2004 2:18:09 PM PDT by dandelion
They are not "seperatists", they are not "rebels" - the murderers are ISLAMIC TERRORISTS.
BESLAN, Russia (AP) - 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.
Hours after the midday assault, 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.
The school was largely secured late Friday afternoon, but a large explosion erupted from inside toward nightfall, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. A member of an elite security unit died saving two young girls, the agency reported.
Valery Andreyev, the top Federal Security Service official in the region, said 20 militants were killed, including 10 Arabs. The Arab presence among the attackers would support President Vladimir 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.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF YAHOO NEWS
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.
---SNIP---
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."
---SNIP---
"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."
I have no words to express my anger right now. I know what President Bush has said, in a statement released by the White House:
"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."
Let us see what Senator Kerry says: it must be nothing less than "Terrorists must die".
Nuke Chechnya.
Islam is Satan incarnate.
A more 'sensitive' way must be found to deal with terrorists?
Ditto
islamic killers.
Its about time we call them what they are and not let these islamic nuts hide behind the pc code name of chechnya.
I don't believe these terrorists are Chechyans any more than I believe the "Iraqi Freedom fighters" are Iraqi...
They are Arabic Terrorists with Al-Qaida ties, seeking a new nest since their base was destroyed in Afghanistan.
What did Kerry have to say about these "BABY KILLERS?!!"
There, all better.
Maybe Russia will wake up and send some troops to Iraq.
No justice, no peace!
So far, Kerry has been curiously silent.
But if he calls these animals "separtists" and not "terrorists", then many undecided voters will make a real quick decision who to vote for.
Bush.
Incredible pictures.
Wow.
Well if the massacre in the Moscow theater wasn't enough, maybe now the Ruskies will be looking for a little payback.
Greater love has no man....
God rest his soul...
advocating violence is a no-no... understand the responsibility that accompanies free expression.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.