Posted on 10/27/2002 2:10:43 AM PST by Destro
Russians probe al-Qa'eda link as a number of Arab fighters were among hostage tackers
By Christina Lamb and Ben Aris in Moscow
(Filed: 27/10/2002)
Russian security forces were last night investigating links between Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda organisation and Chechen rebels after special forces dramatically ended the Moscow theatre siege, leaving scores of hostages dead.
Most of the 50 Chechen terrorists - including 18 women - were killed when the Russian forces moved in a dawn raid after filling the theatre with sleeping gas through the ventilation system.
Russian emergency services bring hostages out of the theatre after the special forces assault
The rescue mission was launched after the rebels started carrying out their threat to execute some of the 800 theatregoers held hostage for three nights.
Health officials said that at least 90 hostages were killed during the assault. Many are believed to have died as a result of the gassing after choking on vomit. Three terrorists were said to have survived and were taken for interrogation.
None of the 30 children was killed, nor any of the 75 foreigners, including a British mother and son.
As the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, toured a hospital where survivors were being treated, his security chiefs were investigating the extent of links between al-Qa'eda and the Chechens.
The Telegraph has learned that a number of Arab fighters, believed to be of Saudi Arabian and Yemeni origin, were among the group that seized control of the theatre.
Russian Spetsnaz storm the theatre after shots were heard
"There were definitely Arab terrorists in the building with links to al-Qa'eda," said a senior Western diplomat. "The Russians will now want to know how much help the Chechens received from bin Laden's organisation."
Mr Putin had claimed that "foreign elements" were involved and suspicions about al-Qa'eda's connection deepened after the Chechens broadcast a pre-recorded message on the Qatar-based al-Jazeera television network, which is frequently used by bin Laden and his lieutenants.
The leader of the rebels was killed during the assault
Russian officials said that the hostage-takers had made several calls to the United Arab Emirates during the siege.
Last night thousands of angry relatives waited at hospital gates, denied access to sons and daughters, husbands and wives suffering the effects of the mystery fumes.
In an address to the nation Mr Putin apologised for failing to save all the hostages. "Please forgive us," he said. "We shall win this fight against international terrorism."
The decision to storm the building came at 5.30am. "When the rebels began shooting hostages the special plan was switched on," said Vladimir Vasilyev, the deputy interior minister.
"The danger was very high and we were afraid there might be a major explosion. We used special means to neutralise the terrorists."
The only good Jehadi is a dead Jehadi
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"Please forgive us," he said. "We shall win this fight against international terrorism."
One step at a time. After this event, it will be easier to get Mr. & Mrs. Boris six-pack on board.
IMO
If this were here in the USA the media might have actually covered the story.
One needs to follow the money.
Russia has huge reserves of oil and natural gas, much of it just in the development stages and a lot of the developed sources in old, uneconomic fields. For Russian financial development and national prosperity, he needs the price of oil to remain at elevated levels to assure a healthy cash flow and the strong development. The demise of Saddam and the unleashing of the huge reserves of Iraqi oil into the marketplace would plummet oil prices, which in turn would further hurt the Russian economy - which is fragile even as it is.
IMHO, Putin is jockeying for some sort of American guarantees the bottom won't fall out of the price of oil next year in exchange for his support in overthrowing Saddam and allowing that extra Iraqi oil into the market. When he gets it, he will gladly come along. He is ideologically in our camp and in a murderous war with Al Queda as it is, but must look out for Russia's commercial interests at the same time.
I forgot to mention Iraq owes Russia billions of dollars for weaponry which it possesses. Putin also will want assurances this debt will be guaranteed under a new Iraqi government.
That's okay, they were pretty tacky hostage takers! :)
NOW will the media start to refer to them as terrorists instead of "rebels"?
Hmmm... I bet Chechnya would look like a pretty good fit for that.
It's also in the financial interests of the Middle-East oil producers to keep Russian oil-production tied up in wars and terrorism; less competition that way.
But sending actual Arabs into the Moscow theatre was a pretty bad strategic decision. The Russians are going to hype this Al Qaeda connection to Chechnya for all that it is worth, which will ally them firmly in Bush's anti-terrorism camp.
Shoot, Al Qaeda might just as well repeat this absurdity in Europe and China, thus uniting the ENTIRE militarized WORLD against their cause, as pull this stunt in Russia. From a geo-political and propaganda standpoint, using actual Arab terrorists inside Moscow-proper is a clear failure, and certainly something that will make the hapless French have a more difficult time "forgiving" the attack on their oil tanker in Yemen this year.
If historians have a sense of humour, they might look back one day on the radical-Islam vs civilized world war of 2001-2009 as the Darwin wars...
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