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To: MJY1288; All
As of about an hour ago...Saturday 3:30 pm I have 90+ hostages killed. As more hostages who were shot during the event die in the coming days….the numbers will grow. I don’t quite understand the inability for Freepers [of all people] to detach themselves emotionally and approach this situation looking for data and not meledrama.

For the Russian Authorities [and seemingly many Freepers] the numbers are acceptable. I promise you that in the western SpecFor Community they are not. Here in the US had we lost 90+ hostages in this sort of scenario….some of the shooters would discreetly lose their jobs [and rightfully so]. (BTW: The wacky waco crowd can save their shallow retorts….JSOC & Delta would’ve been running this show, not the FBI, ATF, CIA, State Department, Red Cross or the Council on Foreign Relations.)

With 700+ hostages 5-10 [at the very most] hostages killed by your own entry team would be acceptable on this side of the pond. Anything higher reveals serious problems with planning or execution.
80+ Hostages killed by the Muslims reveals poor execution or planning, take your pick. Either way this wasn’t a rip roaring success by hostage rescue standards.
The know nothing “A win is a win so shut up!” PC paralyses crowd will always be around. But for guys like me….the final tally of hostages killed is the indicator of mediocrity or glowing success.

Sorry if reality sucks to some folks but that is what drives the rest of us.

From my end it looks like A. The Muslims started to grasp that they were slowly being gassed and opened fire forcing the Russians to storm the building or B. The Hostages tried to make a break for it and forced the Muslims hand which in turn forced the Russians hand. C. The Russians initiated a breach and took the building at all costs.

The first two scenarios suck for the Russians. If the third is what happened then this was piss poor planning and execution.

Bottomline.

If the Russians initiated a well coordinated breach and stormed the building clean then 90+ simply doesn’t happen.
If the Russians were reacting to what the Muslims were doing and went in guns blazing with aim points lower then head level…then 90+ can happen.

I suspect the latter.

In the end….they took the building and prevented the Muslims from killing everyone. So by Russian military standards, it was a good op.
By American, British or Israeli military standards, it would’ve ended up being an opportunity to learn from mistakes while the media crucified the President, the SecDef and the hostage rescue teams for their incompetence…..all while explaining the emotional and economic plight of the Muslim terrorists [and the conspiracy theorist Freepers made unfounded recriminations against the evil federal government].

Anyone disagree?
438 posted on 10/26/2002 1:37:05 PM PDT by VaBthang4
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To: spetznaz
Spetz...here is my thinking.
440 posted on 10/26/2002 2:15:39 PM PDT by VaBthang4
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To: VaBthang4
As more hostages who were shot during the event die in the coming days....the numbers will grow. ...

Anyone disagree?

I do. The hospitalized hostages dying are mostly succumbing not to the effects of gunshot wounds, but to the aftereffects of the *sedative* gas used, apparantly a low dosage of the Russian binary Novochok-33 nerve agent. Indeed, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has stated that casualties among the hospitalized hostages have reached 130+, and at least 30 more suffering aftereffects of the gas are still in critical condition.

And at that, the Russians saved all the kids taken hostage, and none of the foreign citizens [including at least three Americans] taken hostage were reported among those killed or hospitalized with serious injuries. 10 per cent casualties are indeed steep, but in line with what the Israelis were willing to accept duruing the Entebbe rescue, and were exceedingly grateful that they did not. And the Russians were MUCH more successful than were the American visitors to Iran at *Desert One* during the *Operation Eagle Claw* failed Iranian Embassy hostage rescue.

442 posted on 10/26/2002 2:38:21 PM PDT by archy
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