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| Caucasus |
| Mass arrests follow destruction of puppet government buidings in Chechnya |
| 2003-01-06 |
| Grani.ru and Ummahnews Russian federal authorities are sweeping Chechnya for those responsible for last month's spectacular blast at the puppet government buildings in Grozny. According to Radio Liberty, 30 people have already been detained, included 20 inhabitants of the village of Staryye Atagi. Seems the Russers had an idea where to start looking... The authorities responded to the Grozny blast with unprecedented swiftness. Doctors in emergency vehicles arrived within minutes, and planes immediately took the wounded to Vladikavkaz, Rostov-na-Donu, and Moscow. Rescuers began sifting through the ruins almost immediately after the blast. There were no unseemly delays with the provision of information: Neither military nor civilian officials shunned the microphones or television cameras. Finally, contrary to usual practice, the president did not remain silent for a day or two: He condemned the act the same day. Such a prompt and, most importantly, appropriate response to the tragedy indicates that the authorities are learning something. Something, but not the most important thing. Maybe in the wake of the Moscow atrocity they've been in a more alert posture. And maybe they've been expecting some sort of similar atrocity in Chechnya... There is in essence just one official line: The act was organized by Aslan Maskhadov. This no longer seems to be open to discussion. No matter how much Maskhadov denies responsibility, the investigation sees him as the key figure in the case, to whom all the others are connected. But if this is so, Maskhadov must be seen as Ichkeria's main suicide bomber: A president who unleashes civil war among his own people has no future. Akhmed Zakayev is probably right: He believes that the blasts were carried out by "a group beyond the control of the government." They're going to try and blame it on the government, like they tried to blame the apartment bombings on them... The Russian authorities, which from the outset blamed Maskhadov for the blast, are taking a path that they have trodden for a long time. The current mass arrests and clean-ups follow the same tactic of intimidating and demoralizing the population. The strategy is bringing more and more new civilians into the ranks of the resistance. Everything is spiralling and intensifying. Y'know, he's right. I really think they should kill Maskhadov. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #5 Nah. The magic cell phone is more elegant. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-01-07 06:50:13 |
| #4 That's better then the magic cell phone... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-01-06 21:32:35 |
| #3 The sat phone thing is funny. "...ey...Jurgi.. this phone broken.. after call house blows up.." |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-01-06 21:28:27 |
| #2 Do they know where he is? |
| Posted by: Brian 2003-01-06 17:40:58 |
| #1 They almost caught him a few months ago. Eventually, I think they will. They managed to get Djokar Dudaev, his predecessor. They got him on his sat phone for a chat, fixed his location, then bombed the crap out of it. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-01-06 21:05:04 |