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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Trans-Dniester blast kills eight |
| 2006-07-06 |
| At least eight people have been killed in an explosion on a city minibus in Moldova's breakaway Trans-Dniester region, officials say. More than 20 people were injured - some seriously - in the blast in the city of Tiraspol. Officials said they believed it was caused by a bomb. The authorities issued an urgent appeal for donors to help the badly wounded. Trans-Dniester, which broke away from Moldova in a 1991-1992 war, is not internationally recognised. The blast took place at about 0700 (0400 GMT) at a crossroads near the city centre. "The blast was so powerful that the roof of the minibus was thrown a distance of about 100 metres, and clothes were ripped off the bodies of the victims," said Trans-Dniester's interior ministry spokesman, quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. Several people were injured inside a nearby trolleybus, officials said. Experts are working at the scene trying to determine the cause of the explosion. However, Trans-Dniester's interior deputy minister Oleg Belyakov said it could have been caused by an explosive device which was accidentally triggered. Trans-Dniester, a mainly Russian-speaking region, has been tense since March, when Moldova and Ukraine imposed a new customs regime. It requires exporters in Trans-Dniester to register with the Moldovan authorities. The Trans-Dniester administration says it amounts to a blockade. Russian troops are deployed in the region to protect the separatists. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 SF, fortunately for you, TD and/or Caucasus (caucus is something entirely, ahm..., different) are land-locked regions, so given your nick, we do give you some slack. ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-06 11:39 |
| #7 Try the fainting couch over there, Seafarious dear, and I'll bring us each a nice cup of tea. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-06 11:38 |
| #6 (Quietly tiptoes out of thread to go lie down.) |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-07-06 11:28 |
| #5 yah, but not everyone in TD is russian, some are romanian speakers who want to be part of Moldova, and thus Moldova thinks that independence for TD is Russian aggression (kinda the way Russia - quietly - thinks an independent Ukraine is aggression) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-07-06 11:15 |
| #4 TD is the Russian speakers who didn't want to be part of Moldova, which is Romanian-speaking. Their leader, back in the 91-92 pereiod had a totally nondescript name -- Ivan Ivanov, if I remember correctly (too lazy to look it up). I believe the leadership of both sides was made up of mafiosi. Gen. Lebed' kept the parties apart, preventing the Moldovans from killing all the Russian-speaking nitwits and the Russian-speakers from killing all the Moldovan nitwits, exhibiting qualities of patience that should have qualified him for sainthood. I'd forgotten all about them until this incident jogged my memory. Lebed's not only moved on but safe in his grave, so the hard boyz can get frisky. Doubt if it's our sort of terrorism, though I suppose it could be a lost Chechen or two. |
| Posted by: Fred 2006-07-06 11:11 |
| #3 so muddled that they apply to the trans deniester, which is NOT in the Caucusus ;) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-07-06 11:11 |
| #2 Russian troops are deployed in the region to protect the separatists. That sentence helps clarify the mud a little. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-06 11:09 |
| #1 Caucus politix are a bit muddled for me. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-07-06 10:45 |