Chechen Radicals Deny Responsibility For Hostage Taking (children)

[Dover]

CHECHEN RADICALS DENY RESPONSIBILITY FOR HOSTAGE TAKING

"The New York Times" reported on 2 September that one of the hostage takers suggested the group is subordinate to radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev. Basaev claimed responsibility in October 2002 for the Moscow theater hostage taking and reportedly also masterminded the 21-22 June multiple raids from Chechnya into Ingushetia in which up to 90 people died. But a statement posted on 1 September on the kavkazcenter.com website (which is connected to Basaev) denied responsibility for the Beslan hostage taking, Reuters reported.

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http://www.rferl.org/newsline/1-rus.asp

[Maple]

1. Could be Georgians then

They did say about a week back that they were going to war with Russia. Seems an unlikely first step though.

[Aidoneus]

2. Probably not Georgians

More informed reports suggest that it's Ingush & Ossets as being involved. Their first statements were in regard to people that were kidnapped and are held by the Russian/Ingush Interior Ministry next door. Inbetween DDOS cyberterror attacks, Kavkaz's Russian language page passed on a report that it is a joint Ingush-Ossetian unit; the Russian FSB of all people backs this up, suggesting that the people are Ingush from North Ossetian Republic villages that are south of the Mozdok area (Beslan is then about 20mi south of this approx. area).

A little background. The Ingushetian Interior Ministry was overrun by (dissident) Ingush resistance fighters, with operational support from Shamil Basayev, back in June in response to various increasingly fascist tendencies taken by the government. Similar tactics that were the staple of Russian occupation forces next door had been applied to the Ingush as well over a period of several months, or rather, years in a general sense. Several particularly notable incidents had taken place aside from a basic level of systematic offenses, ranging from the regime's secret police and Spetsnaz (special forces) carrying out the same style of "cleansing operations", and in one case a helicopter firing on a crowded street. In response to this situation, hundreds of Ingush fled to the Chechen foothills to seek out Shamil Basayev's support against the regime.

There had been a small series of skirmishes taking place over a period of time, and not only among the Ingush but also in the N.Cauc. nations further to the west. This came to a head in late June, when hundreds of heavily armed fighters crossed the 'border'--which was never really defined anyway, it being mostly forest and unpatrolled, slightly improved dirt roads--in a clearly large operation. After fierce battles had taken place in which the mostly Ingush resistance unit had overwhelmingly taken the better of, they quickly gained control of most of the capital Nazran for a period of time, carrying out pinpoint strikes on official regime figures and buildings. They took possession of the Interior Ministry itself, freeing hostages from various Russian jails and transferring large quantities of weapons to their army to take back with them--Shamil himself was filmed inside the building by the Ingush fighters while overseeing this. The joint unit, composed primarily of Ingush fighters, but also with other volunteers from the North Caucasus nations including Chechens that had come with Basayev, then left just as 'easily' as they had come. It was a huge embarassment and what followed was an extreme ramping up by the government of every reason why the operation was carried out.

This event here seems to be tied to the latter kidnappings by the regime--the first demand issued out was the release of those held by the Russian regime in Ingushetia. I'm not sure if Shamil has directly anything to do with this; I doubt it. I know Maskhadov doesn't. By now there are far greater events going on in the area than just with the Chechens, and that point is just important enough to be pretty much glazed over entirely by about 95% of the press coverage.

[Vladimir]

3. Well what else are they going to do? n/t

[LondonAmerican]

4. Yes, it was those damned Venusians

or maybe Nazis from one of their lunar bases. And they also had nothing to do with the two planes that blew up or the subway bomb or the bus station bomb (all in the last week).

Nosiree, those Chechens, they're mighty fine upright people -- the kind you'd want right next door!

[robcon]

5. Yeah - I always believe groups that kill people indiscriminately.

They're usually the ones that would refuse to take hostages. ;)

[HuckleB]

6. Reports about who they were indicated that this may be true.

It may be Ingush fighters, and one report noted at least one local individual.

Now that the place has been rushed, the Russians may never let the world know the truth, however.

[Aidoneus]

7. it's terrible..

just a while earlier, President Maskhadov was contacted by the Ossetian & Ingush leaders to act as a mediator for peacefully resolving this. He accepted this, and would that not have been a more suitable ending?--but that's a moot point now.