To have done nothing would have guaranteed the deaths of many more hostages. On Fox the other night a guest told of how the terrorists took one woman and broke all of fingers and then shot her in the stomach. These b##stards cannot be negotiated with, and upon capture they need to be summarily executed. The loss of the hostages is indeed tragic. The saving of the overwhelming majority of them is miraculous. The Russians had no other options.
"...and upon capture they need to be summarily executed."
I disagree. It's time to start making these monsters think twice about their actions. Brutal and inhumane as it may be, my suggestion:
Coat them in pig blood and hang them by their feet while broadcasting via satellite. Let the elements take them, slowly. No quick and merciful deaths for these things. Examples need to be set for all the other virgin seekers...