Posted on 09/04/2004 1:16:00 AM PDT by Walkin Man
Russia's Putin Orders Crackdown After School Siege
Sept. 4, 2004 — By Richard Ayton and Oliver Bullough
BESLAN, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin ordered a crackdown in southern Russia after a school siege killed at least 250, and warned Chechen sympathizers on Saturday they would be seen as "accomplices of terrorism."
The Kremlin leader paid a lightning early morning visit to the traumatized North Ossetia region close to Chechnya where the two-day hostage drama at the school ended on Friday in bloody mayhem with Russian forces battling Chechen militants.
"One of the tasks pursued by the terrorists was to stoke ethnic hatred, blow up the whole of our North Caucasus," Putin told local security officials.
"Anyone who will feels sympathetic toward such provocations will be viewed as accomplices of terrorists and terrorism."
The hard words suggested Putin had no intention of backing down from his tough policies of crushing Chechnya's separatist rebellion to keep the mainly Muslim region within Russia, using tactics long criticized by human rights activists.
The storming of the school by Russian forces plunged the small town of Beslan into pandemonium. Troops and armed civilians advanced on the red brick building after explosions inside. Pupils, parents and teachers, many drenched in blood, were carried out on stretchers or in the arms of local men.
No definitive figure for the number of those killed -- many of whom were children -- was available on Saturday.
Interfax news agency quoted local health officials as saying at least 250 people were killed from what might turn out to be 1,200 or so children, parents and teachers taken hostage. Hundreds remained in hospital, 92 in serious condition.
Interfax quoted the regional interior ministry as saying most of the hostages held in the school gym died because of the explosions and the roof collapsing.
"There are still dozens of explosive devices there which prevent us removing the remaining dead bodies," a ministry spokesman said.
RIA Novosti quoted health authorities as saying 60 more bodies were pulled from the school's ruins on Saturday, 36 of them children.
Officials said 27 hostage-takers were killed and three taken alive.
"I saw about 25 corpses in the schoolyard, which were not there yesterday," a Reuters witness said. "About 18 were in body bags lying in two rows. Six or seven were just outside a school window without body bags, all men without shirts."
The bloody denouement at Middle School No. 1 in Beslan made the siege one of the world's worst such episodes.
Four out of the dozen or so mass hostage sieges in the past 30 years have been in Russia. All four have been linked to the Chechnya war and all ended in huge loss of life.
Putin brusquely slapped down officials who, during his visit to Beslan, sought to commend the security forces.
"As far as the special forces are concerned, this is a separate story. We will talk about it later. There are unfortunately many losses," he said, clearly angered by the bloody outcome that came after he went on national television and promised to do everything to keep hostages from harm.
Explosives and arms used by the gunmen were smuggled into the building well in advance, during summer building work on the school, Interfax quoted an unnamed regional security source as saying on Saturday.
BORDERS CLOSED
"I have ordered Beslan to be sealed off, Ossetia's borders to be closed and checks to be carried out to find all people linked to the terrorist act," Putin said in Beslan.
Some reports said a few of the gunmen may have escaped.
Western governments offered sympathy to Putin. But the European Union said in a statement it wanted an explanation from Russia "how this tragedy could have happened."
Freed hostages described the mayhem on Friday afternoon. "Bombs were strung all over the gym," one teenage girl told state television. "Tape came unstuck on one and it blew up."
"There were two big explosions," said a women in her forties. "We started pushing all the children out of the windows ... Everyone who was there started pushing them out."
Authorities said they had been forced to launch a rescue operation when the gunmen opened fire on fleeing children.
North Ossetia is the only predominantly Orthodox province in the otherwise mostly Muslim North Caucasus. But the whole region is a tinderbox of small national groups and any crackdown carries a risk of disrupting further a delicate ethnic balance.
Putin, easily re-elected to a second term in March, must now reassure Russians they are safe from the threat of separatists.
The near-simultaneous crash of two airplanes last week, in which 90 people died, was blamed on Chechen suicide bombers as was an explosion by a Moscow metro station which killed nine. (Additional reporting by Oleg Shchedrov)
Well spoken but with one significant caveat:
We'd have to do magic to bring the former soviet satelites along and they are our hedge against "old europe".
Got that right. The Russians will shoot first ask questions later. Good riddance to bad trash.
"But the European Union said in a statement it wanted an explanation from Russia "how this tragedy could have happened."
Yep! It's all Putin's fault. This is just like saying the US brought 911 on itself! We surely do live in crazy times. I'm mildly surprised that the EU called it a tragedy, they could have called it a military operation by disenfranchised street people (sarcasm!)
An important point from BBC, covered up by the US media:
"Commandos went into action after a series of explosions inside the school, at least one of which appears to have been the accidental detonation of a bomb planted by the militants."
I doubt the "accidental" part.
"The world would be a much different place if we could become true allies with Russia."
They're building a nuclear reactor in Iran for goodness sakes!
"Don't be too dismissive. Russia's Alfa Group is easily the equivalent of our Delta Force, a fact well-recognized by our own military."
When they can stay sober!
A charity for the victims:
http://www.moscowhelp.org
MISSION STATEMENT - BESLAN
THE FUND'S GOAL IS TO HELP THE CHILDREN AFFECTED BY THE TERRORIST ACT IN BESLAN
The complete fallout of the terror act in Beslan is not yet clear. What is clear is that this is the worst terror-related human catastrophe in the history of Russia. As of now, media reports indicate at least 150 victims who already died as a direct result of this terrorist act, and over 600 victims, mainly children, have been taken to local hospitals, a large number of them with very serious injuries.
The Foundation was originally established in 2002 to raise personal and corporate charitable donations to help families of the Nord-Ost terror victims. That project was successfully completed with all donations fully distributed.
On September 11, 2001, Russian people and the whole world stood by the people of the United States, Canada, and all other countries whose citizens became victims of that unprecedented terrorist attack.
The Beslan hostage crisis is an example of the same type of terrorism that has perpetrated the September 11 attack. In terms of the number of people involved and the worldwide attention and solidarity, the Beslan siege can in many ways be compared to the major attacks against the US and many other countries.
The Foundation is managed by a group of activists and operates in full accordance with applicable US charity laws.
All personal donations will be used solely to help the children who were injured in Beslan or whose parents died as a result of this terror act.
The death toll is now 322, including 155 children. Most of the dead children have bullet wounds in the back. The Russian media has a photo of one poor little girl whose face was badly burned, she has one remaining eye (these details need to be made known to the liberals). And the damned Dutch government this morning condemned the Russians for their treatment of the Chechnyans! The Russian Orthodox period of mourning is 40 days, revenge can follow thereafter; after that, I would predict a substantial fall in the Chechnyan population in North Ossetia.
FYI, there were reports that they had bombs taped to the ceiling and the walls. According to one witness, one of the bombs fell off the ceiling.
Yes, there is no arrogance like an appointed for life bureaucrat.
They might reconsider that idea. I don't doubt that Russia wants a strong presence in that part of the world, but they really ought to think twice about that plan.
It's like the criticism of Bush when he was told about the planes crashing into the WTC --- the fact that he stayed calm and thought for 5 minutes about what he needed to do was actually criticized by the democrats.
True, most Ossessians Orthodox, they are not even as people mentioned as muslim peoples.
Maybe they could seek asylum in Saudi Arabia --- but any group that attacks innocent children at a school needs to be exterminated or driven out of the country. The Russians are insane if they allow the Muslims to stay.
Maybe they could seek asylum in Saudi Arabia --- but any group that attacks innocent children at a school needs to be exterminated or driven out of the country. The Russians are insane if they allow the Muslims to stay.
By the way what happened to the French journalists? Did the frogs collaborate again and give the islam-a-nazis new weapons?
Late last night BBCC World said, "Some children started to escape from one area of the school,( i.e. 100 Harry Potters and Frodo) - then the Arabs started shooting." I have not heard this in the American press.
Everyone should be a citizen soldier. The jihad vermin should receive their 'jizya"(infidel tax) in lead.
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