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Caucasus
Aide denies Maskhadov role in siege
2004-09-12
Ousted Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov has rejected through his representative in Europe claims he helped plan the Beslan school siege in which more than 330 people died.
"No, no! It was... ummm... somebody else!"
Ahmed Zakayev, former Chechen deputy prime minister, told Der Spiegel news magazine Maskhadov had in fact tried to do everything to bring the siege to a peaceful end. Following the bloodbath in Beslan, Russia's FSB intelligence has offered up to $10.3 million for information leading to the "neutralisation" of Maskhadov.
That's the way Russers refer to putting displaying his head on a pike...
The Chechen resistance chief is wanted in connection with the school siege in North Ossetia and earlier attacks, including the bombing of two Russian jetliners last month with 90 dead. According to the London-based Zakayev, Maskhadov had a number of telephone conversations with leading Russian politicians after the hostage crisis began. They included North Ossetian President Alexander Dzasokhov and the former president of Ingushetia, Ruslan Aushev, who helped negotiate the release of 26 hostages from the school. Maskhadov had agreed to do everything to de-escalate the crisis, and Zakayev said he himself had wanted to travel to Russia. However, events in Beslan went out of control. As shooting began, the captors phoned Aushev making it clear they were surprised by the apparent storming of the school, Zakayev told Der Spiegel.
"Yeah, sure there wuz bombs goin' off, but that was no reason to storm the place!"
The captors' action was also "a terrible blow" for all people in Chechnya as it had "discredited our idea of independence", Zakayev said.
You can kiss that idea goodbye...
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was only trying to divert attention from the core conflict in Chechnya by calling Maskhadov a "child murderer" and blaming "international terrorism".
I think the core conflict involves fighting a war against people who intentionally kill children. As it happens, those people are usually involved with international terrorism. Quite a coincidence, ain't it?
Posted by:Fred

#8  This reminds me of all of the rantburgers spewing Turkish history before the Turks backstabbed us prior to Iraq. "The military will step in..blah, blah, blah." Yet it was obvious to anyone not mired in history where Erdogan's real intentions lay.

There was yesterday and there is today. Belsan changed things - as did 911.

Pointing to how people responded yesterday - is useful and intersesting - but not necessarily an indicator of future behavior.

Belsan changed how Russia will react. I enjoy and encourage historical posts - but don't use them to read the future.
Posted by: feeling bitchy   2004-09-13 1:29:00 PM  

#7  Russians backed out of 1996 Chasavyurt treaty after Chechen fighters crossed the border to Dagestan and attacked civillians and Russian military in Dagestan.. It really depends on how you look ar it!
Basayev and Maskhadov are in accord, at least according to the rebels' website www.kavkazcenter.org This site has a choice of three languages -- Russian, English and Turkish. I have compared Russian and English and found out that information in English is different sometimes from the info in Russian. For western readers they offer more "filtered" and "politically correct", refined articles, while in Russian they justify such things as massacre in Beslan..
Posted by: Anonymous6428   2004-09-13 1:05:56 PM  

#6  I sit corrected.
Posted by: trailing wife   2004-09-13 11:19:14 AM  

#5  Trailing wife, civilians are killed in Chechnya in all kind of circumstances.. Certainly in attacks on militants , but also at random..Rape, murder, abduction by Russians soldiers & contractniki, carpet bombing and so on..If the Russians had not violated their own 1996 Chasavyurt treaty, then a lot of these civilians would not have been killed..It just depends on how you look at it..
Posted by: lyot   2004-09-13 8:47:56 AM  

#4  Lyot, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the Chechen civilians are generally killed in the process of attacks on militants. Whereas the Beslan babies were definitely the chosen targets of the terrorists.

If I'm right, that makes the Chechen civilian dead the victims of their own uprising, ie had there been no uprising, they would still be alive.

Sounds like the difference between the Israelis and the Palestinians to me, given my current understanding.
Posted by: trailing wife   2004-09-12 5:54:26 PM  

#3  Sock Puppet of DOom, more then 40.000 Chechen children have been killed by Russians during the last 10 years..What does that make of the Russians, according to your standards..

I will never believe Maschadov masterminded or participated in this attack.. And I guess the US governement is on the same line of thinking, regarding the fact that they recently gave political asylum to Mr. Akmadhov, a political representative of Maschadov's regime. You're all being fooled by the Russians if you think Maschadov is responsible..In the interbellum , he was a fierce opponent of Basayev, yet he didn't manage to reign him and his Wahhabist croonies in..
Posted by: lyot   2004-09-12 4:15:40 PM  

#2  They should have thought of this before they killed babies. Now I wouldn't give you a plug nickle for any Chechen or an independent Chechen nation.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2004-09-12 1:34:36 AM  

#1  Maybe he is telling the truth. I have never been clear of what the relation between Basayev and Mashkadov actually is, whether it is simply a case of bad cop/good cop, or the two are radically different and are simply both fighting the Russians using different tactics.

Mass hostage takings have always been Basayev's trademark.
Posted by: Paul Moloney   2004-09-12 12:20:18 AM  

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