Gary is right. NO condemnation but rather support and appreciation for the restraint the Russian solders have shown in the face of horrors like Beslan.
Russians have been dealing with these Muslims for several hundreds of years. They know what is best. And we all will be more supportive as well as the brutalities committed by Muslims continue.
eleni, Gary.
With all due respect, the brutalizing of locals by the Federal forces and local security is well-documented by a number of observers--not just Politkovskaya or Soros backed groups. It's wrong to brutalize the entire population. It's wrong to engage in revenge random kidnappings of locals whenever insurgents strike. It's wrong to put the security of Chechnya in the hands of the thugs like Ramzan Kadyrov who is involved in a number of criminal activities ranging from kidnappings to shady oil deals.
I'm not an idealist and realize that Islamist insurgency in Chechnya and the rest of N. Caucasus could not have happened without some public support among the locals, but the Federal Authorities have a responsibility to defend the laws of the country--not to massively contribute to their violations.