Russians in control of the theater! On CNN

cnn ^ | now | cnn

[Diddle E. Squat]

Looks like a pretty good conclusion

[MJY1288]

From a long distance, Where I live (high elevation)I can look out for miles and miles, The massive amount of lights were easy to see even though they were almost 20 miles away. I could literaly watch the police lights come to a stop at the scene.

[wingnuts'nbolts]

Even if there were fatalities among the hostages, the fact that the Russians took over the theater and stopped the
terrorists from any kind of success is a win in the favor of antiterrorism tactics. I am proud of the Russians for their actions. All nations need to act to stop this craziness. These terrorista are taliban.... the taliban hijacked the Muslim religion in Chechnya now they are part of the terrorist problem for the whole world.

[Cold Heat]

Maybe during the first Chechen War. But during the Second Chechen War it became clear that Wahhabists were taking it over for jihad purposes.

This is my take as well. Even the first one was stirred up by them. We did not understand at the time. The media was not reporting the facts. They were dealing out the same PC BS they are still dealing out.

[gdc61]

how long has chechnya been islamic? this is the key question. that area WAS at one time mostly christian.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

Did anyone here over 30 think we'd ever be rooting for the Russians?

Never in my wildest dreams! We certainly have unlikely allies in the war against Islam.

[ET(end tyranny)]

I think we can be pretty certain that this is the end for him. Shoot him 9 times, just to be safe.

Then slit his throat, cut his head off, and carry it in front of cameras by the hair and send it special delivery to where the rest of the terrorists are.

[FreedomPoster]

Damn good question! and No.

Go Rooskies! Now take some retribution in Chechneya.

[okie01]

"A lot of people seem to be characterizing the "hostage takers" (trying to use a neutral term) as "terrorists," simply because they are Islamic. But the Chechens actually have a reasonably legitimate nationalistic beef with the Russians..."

They did. But any natural sympathy they may have earned for their self-determination evaporated when the Chechens allied with bin Laden and al-Qaeda. They now count among the supporters, practitioners and harborers of terrorism.

In what amounts to a worldwide war on terrorism, the Chechens chose the wrong side.

[gcruse]

That's what the man said.

[fire and forget]

Yes. There're still considered East. I view them as our comrades now all the same and definitely grouped among civilized nations. I'm 32 and the Soviet threat was ever present in my mind when I was growing up. Now they're our friends ... and they'll likely prove to be our primary source of foreign oil soon minimizing OPEC's leverage over us.

Yeah, you're right. I'm just stoked right now about this outcome. Ideologically and politically, I expect Russia will for practical purposes soon be considered part of the West. Already I almost do.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Crap, reporting that some of the terrorists may have escaped.

[Pushi]

I'm with you. Kill them all like the cockroaches they are.

[Cowboy Bob]

Uncle Joe deported the entire population to Siberia in the 1930s.

"Uncle Joe's" mistake was that he didn't liquidate them when he had the chance.

I lived in Southern Russia for 5 years. I've met lots of Chechens. I don't like them. I don't trust them. Nobody in the Caucausus likes them. I think "Uncle Joe" knew what he was doing when he deported them.

[hole_n_one]

	Russian special forces remove a hostage from the besieged theatre where Chechen guerrillas were holding hundreds captive in Moscow on October 26. Security officials say Russian forces have taken control of the building and killed the rebel commander. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - Oct 25 11:45 PM ET
	Russian medics remove a hostage before a loud explosion was heard from the besieged theatre where Chechen rebels5are holding hundreds captive in Moscow, October 26, 2002. Rebels holding 700 people inside the theatre said they would free no more hostages and a Russian negotiator said guerrillas have vowed to take serious action unless their demands were met. Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters - Oct 25 11:26 PM ET
	Russian special forces remove a hostage from a besieged theatre where Chechen guerrillas are holding hundreds captive in Moscow October 26, 2002. Gunmen who were holding hundreds of hostages in a Moscow theatre were being taken out of the building with their hands behind their backs, Interfax news agency said on Saturday. A Reuters photographer saw many hostages leaving the building and apparently dead people being carried out. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - Oct 25 11:30 PM ET
	A Russian armoured personnel carrier is shown parked near the Moscow theatre where Chechen gunmen were holding hundreds of people hostage on October 25. Interfax news agency said on October 26 that the guerrillas had been removed from the building. REUTERS/Dima Korotayev - Oct 25 11:30 PM ET

[Senator Pardek]

Any time, any day
You can hear the people say
That love is blind
Well, I don't know but I say love is kind

[SkyPilot]

If CNN refers to the Al Queda inspired Islamist Terrorists one more time as "rebels" I will scream.

I am suprised the media does not refer to them as "Students." That is what they constantly referred to the Islamic terrorists who stormed our embassy in Iran as. They still call them "students" per that incident, even today.

[TheConservator]

I believe Chechnya has never been Christian. For a while, in the early middle ages, the area was controlled by the Khazars, who were (of all things) Jewish. But it has been Islamic ever since then.

[MarineDad]

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
PLEASE, for the love of all that's holy, MAKE THAT HIDEOUS THING GO AWAY! (heh heh). And if you can pull that off, why not make the mooselimbs go "away," too, while you're at it? The whole WORLD would be very grateful for that!

[Erasmus]

I never thought I would see the day when I wiould be cheering the Russian police.

Hey, rent "Gorky Park" sometime.

[VaBthang4]

"Even if there were fatalities among the hostages, the fact that the Russians took over the theater and stopped the terrorists from any kind of success is a win in the favor of antiterrorism tactics."

Okay look...for the "A win is a win" crowd please save the speech.

I am a former member of FAST Company and a very interested observer in Russia's MOUT/CQB tactics and I have a kneejerk desire to critique based on casualties as well as body counts. That is the bottomline in Hostage Rescue.

I welcome any comments from former SpecFor operators or MOUT/CQB trainers....but short of that I'm not very interested in unqualified remarks.