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| Caucasus |
| Basayev Claims Responsibility For Moscow Theatre Seige |
| 2002-11-02 |
| Source: CNN, Jihad Unspun Chechnya's leading Mujahideen Commader has claimed responsibility for the Moscow theatre siege in which 119 hostages died. Shamil Basayev said on a Web site on Friday that his group was behind last week's hostage-taking in which 800 theatre-goers were held for three-days. "The next time, those who come won't make any demands, won't take hostages," Basayev said. He warned his group's "... main goal will be destroying the enemy and exacting maximum damage," The Associated Press reported. The next time they come they'll be shot down like dogs... The statement's authenticity could not be confirmed, but the Chechen Probably just as well. What's going to happen isn't going to be pretty, nor for the faint of heart... Basayev claimed the attack was planned without the knowledge of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov, and offered his resignation from all posts in the rebel hierarchy. Kremlin officials, who accuse Maskhadov of being a chief organiser of the hostage attack, called Basayev's statement a smoke screen designed to divert attention from the rebel leader. "Basayev is trying to shield Maskhadov from blame, to save him for further political games," the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted the Kremlin's spokesman on Chechnya, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, as saying. Sounds like a pretty good assessment. Unless Shamil can produce a tape of a conversation with Aslan, where Aslan's saying "Are you guys nutz?!?" the Russers aren't going to buy it. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 I'm with Sergei: Basayev's trying to catch the spear intended for Maskhadov. |
| Posted by: G 2002-11-02 18:46:25 |