Two explosions heard at Russian school where hundreds are being held hosta

[girl gone mad]

Being flashed at www.cnn.com and at the top of http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/default.stm

[demnan]

1. God this is awful!

I really feel for the families and the people inside.

[Vladimir]

2. And machine gun fire apparently

This coming after the Russians had apparently ruled out using force...

The head of the Russian security service in North Ossetia, said there was "no question" of opting for force at the moment.

"There will be a lengthy and tense process of negotiation," Valery Andreyev was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3620498.stm

[aquart]

3. They were trying not to repeat the mistake at the theatre?

[girl gone mad]

4. It does seem likely considering..

the machine gun fire.

[realcountrymusic]

12. What are they *supposed* to do?

You have brutal terrorists who say they won't negotiate, little kids and even babies being denied food and water for days, and a deteriorating situation with hundreds at risk and huge political consequences at stake. You're the Russian government. Now what do you do?

Sometimes the choices come down to shitty and shittier. As another poster said, they made some basic mistakes in the theater rescue operation, but on the other hand they rescued 90 percent of the hostages from what was likely certain death. I like those odds a lot better than being on one of the planes that got blown up.

The Russians have some of the best special forces troops in the world. I'm sure they learned from the theater incident. It's a lot harder to rescue kids who can't act for themselves when the moment arrives. Godspeed to them. If my kid were in there I'd be begging them to mount an assault.

And may those terrorists rot in hell for this. Cowards.

RCM

[LibLabUK]

6. The mistake at the theatre...

The tactical operation was a success, the hostages were freed without the suicide bombers detonating a single one of their bombs.

The major mistake at the theatre was being overly secretive.

The secrecy prevented them from providing enough emergency medical personnel to deal with the anaesthetised hostages, if they had there wouldn't have been the horrific death toll.

The videos of the rescuers dragging and carrying unconscious hostages out of the theatre and unceremoniously dumping them on the street is quite terrible. They were left on their backs and thus to aspirate their vomit.

Secrecy after the fact, not informing doctors at the hospitals which agents had been used, also contributed.

[Vladimir]

5. CNN story link

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/02/russia.school/index.html

[LibLabUK]

7. BBC story..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3621418.stm

As many as four explosions have been heard near a Russian school where some 354 people, including children, are being held hostage.
Machine gun fire was also heard but there was no sign of activity around the school.

Officials earlier ruled out using force to end the siege in Beslan, North Ossetia, while President Putin said the safety of hostages was paramount.

Hundreds of desperate parents are waiting outside.

1. Main entrance
   
2. Area where gunfire began
   
3. Hostages are being held in the school gym, which has reportedly been packed with explosives and mines
   
4. Side entrance
   
5. There have been reports of children being used as human shields at the back windows
   
6. As the attack began a number of hostages hid in the boiler room and later escaped

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. God help these poor kids

whatever sympathy the Chechens may have had in the world of public opinion, no longer exists. I don't care how bad things are in your country, you don't do this to children.

It is sick, disgusting and perverted.

May these thugs get whatever Putin decides they deserve.

[KitSileya]

11. I absolutely agree.

No matter how desperate you are, I do think there are some tactics to which you shouldn't resort. Some might use desperation as an argument, but as that young soldier said on F9/11, a part of your soul dies when you kill another person, and I fear to think what doing this to children does to your soul. What use is it to reach your goal, if your soul has been destroyed because of the means you've used to achieve it?

I just hope this ends better than feared. On tv yesterday they said that they hadn't been able to get the hostage takers to agree to food and water being brought to the hostages, and also that there are several diabetics among the hostages that will soon seriously need their medication.

KitSileya

[HuckleB]

14. So you think that most Chechens agree with this action?

That's not a thought based in reality. Nevermind the terror faced by the entire Chechen population every day, with murders, rapes and disappearances, including of children, happening at the hands of Russian troops. And yet no one covers those stories like this one, and no one spends the energy to condemn Russia and Putin like they do when an event like this occurs.

Why is that?

And, no, I do not condone this action. It is sick and terrible.

However, you do not know who is behind it, or how little of the Chechen population that it represents -- which may actually be little more than those doing the operation.

[cal04]

9. Some Hostages Released

Hostage-takers have freed a number of women and children from a Russian school where hundreds of others are being held captive.

Shortly before a large explosion rocked the school causing a huge plume of black smoke above the building.

The Independent's Andrew Osborn told Sky News two cars were on fire in front of the school and the situation was deteriorating.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13211232,00.html

[gatorboy]

10. George probably gave Putin a call

and told him to settle this before his speech tonite. Wouldn't look good on TV if a school explodes over terrorism when that's what you're running on.

[jdj]

13. This and Kobe

I wonder how it feels to them that W. will be eclipsed tonight...

Of course, they may be expecting him to be so bad that they will be grateful if no one pays attention.

[henslee]

15. Wouldn ot be suprised if this situation is referenced tonight at RNC.

Makes * look compassionate and dovetails with the terror theme. Shit.