Chechen denies attacking school.

[REDLAND]

MOSCOW - Confusion reigns over the identity of the group that seized the school in North Ossetia, taking hostage more than 1,000 children and adults.

According to the BBC, the Russian authorities are saying one thing, Chechen sources another, and it may take time for the truth to emerge.

The Russian version says the hostage-takers were an Al-Qaeda-funded multinational group linked to radical Chechen rebel commanders Shamil Basayev and Doku Umarov.

The Chechen version, as put forward by a rebel envoy in Europe, is that the attackers may have been Ossetians, Russians or Ingush - but not Chechens.

The pro-rebel Kavkaz Centre website suggests the leaders may have been Ossetian Muslims.

The two accounts were not mutually exclusive, the BBC said. Either would explain the reported presence of Arabs among the attackers

 

[Raphael Meade]

that is one thing that confuses me about the whole situation...

it was in osseita, a current flash point, so you would think that is where the attackers are from.

seems a bit weird that checens go there of all places to carry out such an attack.

 

[REDLAND]

indeed Pete, any real terrorist organization would claim responsibility for an event almost immediately. Chechen separatist leaders have stated that the Chechens had nothing to do with the school siege.

 

[Lammy]

that is one thing that confuses me about the whole situation...

it was in osseita, a current flash point, so you would think that is where the attackers are from.

seems a bit weird that checens go there of all places to carry out such an attack.

Not really. It's only down the road from Chechnia. The way they see it, teh Russians don't care about Chechens so let's take a few Russians hostage instead. It wouldn't make sense for them to kill theit own people to get independance.

Not that it makes sense to kill anyone....

 

[Easy 10]

The whole point of committing such an atrocity is to draw attention to a cause. If its not even clear who committed this heinous act, then what was the point of it in the first place ?

Or have those responsible now considered that in hindsight that this went too far, have taken stock of the worldwide disgust and revulsion, and decided not to claim repsonsibility after all ?

 

[REDLAND]

The whole point of committing such an atrocity is to draw attention to a cause. If its not even clear who committed this heinous act, then what was the point of it in the first place ?

Or have those responsible now considered that in hindsight that this went too far, have taken stock of the worldwide disgust and revulsion, and decided not to claim repsonsibility after all ?

Because Easy some people in the world think Russias invasion and mass destruction/murder in Chechnya is un acceptable, this little diversion gets the REST of the world on Russia side again,

""Akhmed Zakayev, a special envoy to Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, told the Caucasus Times newspaper, "a third force that brought Russian President Vladimir Putin to power” is behind all the terrorist attacks committed in Russia over the past two weeks.""

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

The atrocity has certainly brought more attention to Chechnya than there was before, so mission accomplished if they were Chechens. And no need to claim responsibility either, which as Easy points out, may not be wise. But Putin is certainly muddying the water with the Arab and Al-Qaeda links. I'm sure he would rather be able to blame it on external Muslim findamentalists, or International terrosrism in general than have the focus of attention on Chechnya where Russia's human rights record has been awful. Russia have also admitted deliberately lying about the number of hostages that had been taken.

 

[SK1NT]

Hostage takers usually do so, to make a point! why do all this and deny the whole event?

 

[Tooting Gull]

Russia seems to have a unique ability to f*** up these situations to lose all the obvious goodwill and sympathy that should come to them. Even with such a horrific atrocity, they have still managed to incur the anger of the people by screwing up the rescue attempt and then lying to people about what is going on, exactly the same as with the Kursk.

 

[Sorrel]

The Chechens realise that this event sickened almost everyone - they're going to say anything avoid it being linked with them in anyway. They usually say that the Russians carry out all the terrorist attacks in Russia.

Some believe that the USA attacked itself on September the 11th. That's about as likely as that there was no Chechen motive in the attack on the school IMO.

 

[London Irish]

Whether the atrocity was carried out by the mainstream Chechen opposition (unlikely), the Russian secret servive (unlikely) or fringe pro-Chechen groups (probably) is ultimately irrelevant to breaking the cycle of violence and ensuring no more Beslans.

It does not alter one jot the fundamental political realities of the situation, that Russia is engaged in systematic policies of genocide in Chechyna for strategic and economic reasons, and the urgent task for the rest of the world is to come to the aid of the Chechnyans and rescue them from Putin's murderous policies.

If the world continues to ignore the Russian genocide, then the Chechnyans will turn to anyone that offers help, including extremist Islamic fundamentalist groups and their appalling methods.

That is the lesson of the last 14 years. Islamic fundamentalism only began to gain ground in Chechyna after the devastation of the first Russian-Chechynan war in 1993/5 and the huge killing spree by Russia in Chechyna.

It will continue to grow if the West abandons Chechynans to Putin's murderers, bombers, child-killers and rapists.

We have a clear moral choice, assist the Chechynans, or collaborate in Putin's game of demonising and dehumanising these desperate people.