Does anyone just want to CRY about the Russian school hostage??

[Deb in IA]

Sadly, reports are coming in that there may be more than 150 dead . . . and perhaps a dozen of the Chechen rebels escaped, some dressed as ambulance drivers and others pretending to be parents . .

 

[Saffron]

It's all so very, very sad. My heart just breaks for everyone involved and I've been praying for everyone. Adults should never have to witness or go through anything like that, but babies!? How could anyone do that to children?!? How can anyone be so heartless and evil. That's what it is, just plain evil, like those evil creatons at Columbine High.

I just read up on the terrorist attacks in Russia. Seems like in the last decade they have lost hundreds and hundreds of lives in these terrorist attacks, it seems at least 10 -15 attacks. Hundreds of lives lost at one time as well as smaller amounts at a time. It is so horrible!

What I don't get, is that is if these are Islamic extremists, or Muslim extremists, why are women used in so many of the bombings?!?! That is strange. Or is Islam like Christianity, that some believe one way and others believe another?

Whatever, it's horrific, disgusting and so very, very sad.

 

[Pete's Mom]

Absolutely terrible! My heart goes out the parents. These terrorists are animals. If they do catch them, I think they should turn them over to the parents of these children. Hell is not hot enough for these murderers!

 

[janette]

Terror at it's worst. I can't understand why they would use children to try to make their point. I wondered why the police would storm but it sounds like it was because the hostages the conditions were deadly and they couldn't wait until they all died.

 

[Pete's Mom]

And they are reporting it is not over yet....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131345,00.html

BESLAN, Russia — Gunfire and explosions could be heard around a school in southern Russia (search) as a three-day-long hostage standoff that killed as many as 150 people continued.

Security officials told FOX News that three terrorists — possibly including the leader of the operation — remained blockaded in the basement of the school, and that they were still holding an unknown number of hostages, some of them children.

FOX News has also learned that the remaining hostages may be in dire need of medical attention, as they were too badly wounded to leave when security forces raided the school earlier on Friday. Many of the 1,200 hostages were rescued during the police raid, but some of the terrorists changed from their militants gear to civilian clothing and were able to confuse security forces.

At least 100 bodies were found Friday in the sweltering school gymnasium, where many of the hostages were being held, but a Russian presidential aide said the death toll could climb above 150. A correspondent for the Interfax news agency reported that some were killed when the building's roof collapsed from an explosion before the main assault began.

Hundreds more were wounded during the siege and subsequent raid by Russian soldiers. Other casualties were reported when the suspected Chechen terrorists (search) opened fire on hostages as they fled the building and in fighting that went on for several hours afterward. In all, an estimated 520 people were wounded, health officials said. The regional health minister earlier reported that at least 218 children were wounded.

 

[Octoberbeauty]

I was just reading the story on Iwon. Yes, I cried. I just can't understand how some people can be so horribly cruel. It just breaks my heart.

 

[Geoff_M]

What I don't get, is that is if these are Islamic extremists, or Muslim extremists, why are women used in so many of the bombings?!?!

Chechnya is a Muslim majority state within Russia, but the desire to start a Islamic theocracy isn't at the heart of this conflict. But the rebels that want to split from Russia have used the Mulism (Chechnya) vs. Christian (Russia) angle to win support from other like-minded Islamic extremeist groups around the world.

The reason why women have become popular homocide bombers is because often they are the wifes or sisters of Chechen rebels killed in fighting with Russian forces and they see this as a form of a family honor revenge sorta of twisted thing. I think this trend started with the homocide bomber that blew herself up in the security line at a Russian rock concert a couple of years back. Hamas apparently thought is was a pretty "cool" idea and now they've started using female bombers in Isreal.

Here are some other related items I've gleaned from various news sources (BBC, translated Russian sites, etc.)

At least 9 of the terrorists were not Chechens, but appear to be arabs.

The attack wasn't initiated by the Russian forces. They reacted to an explosion inside the school and gun fire from the terrorists as hostages tried to flee. One suvivor reported that the whole thing started when a bomb inside the school fell off/over and detonated accidentially.

Some of the terrorists did flee, and it's reported that local citizens have some cornered in a house and the locals, bent on revenge, are "shooting the house apart brick by brick."

 

[Kendra17]

Originally posted by Saffron
t's all so very, very sad. My heart just breaks for everyone involved and I've been praying for everyone. Adults should never have to witness or go through anything like that, but babies!? How could anyone do that to children?!? How can anyone be so heartless and evil. That's what it is, just plain evil, like those evil creatons at Columbine High.

What I don't get, is that is if these are Islamic extremists, or Muslim extremists, why are women used in so many of the bombings?!?! That is strange. Or is Islam like Christianity, that some believe one way and others believe another?

Whatever, it's horrific, disgusting and so very, very sad.

I wonder about the use of women, too. I don't know the answer. I do know that Islam wasn't introduced into Chechnya until late 1800's (1850s-80s?). I do know that Shari'a was introduced into Chechnya fairly recently (within last 4 years or so).

As you know, I'd never compare Islam to Christianity. Yes, some athiests act one way, some athiests act another, some Christians act one way, some Christians act another, Some Muslims act one way, and some Muslims act another way (although very few condemn the more extreme).

And, the amount of terrorism that these Muslim extremists commit is absolutely incomparable to anything else. . .not the very extremist Christians and not the "cretins" at Columbine.

By the way, grinning host, thanks for the site link. I find also find a lot on www.meforum.org . The book your site links to on the left, The Third Terrorist, by Jayna Davis, was excellent, too. . .it points to ties between Muslim terrorists and Timothy McVeigh. It is sourced and it's incredible.

 

[Kendra17]

Originally posted by KristiKelly
I cannot begin to imagine what those poor children & parents are going through. It just sickens me!!! Makes me want to go get DS out of school right now & give him a big hug.

me too

 

[charlie,nj]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
Some of the terrorists did flee, and it's reported that local citizens have some cornered in a house and the locals, bent on revenge, are "shooting the house apart brick by brick."

I hope that the above is true..and that the locals slowly rip their bodies to pieces..limb by limb no better yet inch by inch!

 

[Alice28]

Yes, it's sickening and almost too gruesome to comprehend. I don't understand it at all and I have tears in my eyes right now..

 

[Aimeedyan]

This story gets worse and worse each time I read a new report...

And I agree that this is NOTHING in comparison to the horrors of Columbine. It's a new level of terror...

That being said, I'm glad the US media is starting to really focus on this tragedy. I posted a few days ago how frustrated I was at hte lack of information given on our news outlets. Seems to be improving now.

 

[Saffron]

Whoops ... edited to add ... Kendra ...I won't argue anything here with you about what I said or what you said, out of respect for the OP. I'm sure the OP didn't start this thread to start an argument about religion. Instead I believe it was started so that many of us could relate our horror and disgust at a terrible atrocity committed against innocent people, especially children, half way around the world.

I'm sorry to get off track briefly.

 

[leahannpen]

This makes me SICK! The fact that these monsters are doing this to CHILDREN makes me even SICKER! What some monsters these people are! The picture on MSN that I happened upon is enough to bring me to tears.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Reports now are in excess of 200 killed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5881958/

 

[VampHeartless]

Yes...

I think this may be one of the saddest things we'll see in our lifetime...

 

[kpgclark]

I hope you are right that this is the saddest thing. I just hope that it doesn't get turned around to start blaming the Russian Government for doing too much, too little, too slow etc. I can't imagine how difficult the whole process must have been to decide what to do with so many young lives at stake. The evil ones refused all food and water and wouldn't let the hostages use the bathroom. I don't know how much longer they could have all lived in that hot, hot gym. It is soooo horrible. Unfortunately I think that they will continue to one-up what they do to be sure media attention is focused on them.

 

[Pooh93]

It's horrific enough to know that men run these terrorist groups, but how women can do this to children when some may have their own children is out of my realm of comprehension.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

I clicked to read an ap news article and found a picture that caught my eye - of a rescuer wearing a t shirt with what appears to be a US Flag on it. But then I went down on through the article and there are pictures of dead children. It is sickening. I just don't understand the "why". The terrorists draw attention to themselves but also condemnation. Where does it get them?

 

[kpgclark]

I think it is like a cult. You seek out others who you feel have similar political views. Then you are heavily trained and taught the ideals. I think they view children as future enemies. They might as well get rid of them now. I don't think they understand the concept of humanity. Since they are willing to die themselves for a cause I don't think it matters to them if anyone- children included- are murdered. They just have a different mentality. It is like thinking of children as future Hitlers with absolutely no chance of not being a Hitler then multiply that ideal by 10,000. Anyone who disagrees with you is a super Hitler. They are just sick sick people who have the ability to dehumanize.