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| Europe |
| Putin in warning on bombers |
| 2003-07-08 |
| The two women believed to have blown themselves up at a Russian rock concert on Saturday belonged to a group of 36 Chechen female suicide bombers trained by separatists, Russian media reported yesterday. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said "such terrorists must be plucked out from the basements and caves [where] they are hiding" and "simply eliminated". Gee, if Bush had said this he'd be accused of being a "cowboy". In May, the Chechen interior ministry had warned that the 36 had been trained by Shamil Basayev, one of the more extreme leaders of the separatist movement, to conduct a suicide bombing campaign across Russia. Ruslan Atsayev, a spokesman for the Chechen interior ministry, told the Guardian that officials were investigating the creation of a group of "black widows" - the Russian name for Chechen suicide bombers motivated by the loss of their sons or husbands in the war. He would not confirm any connection with Saturday's blast. Russian troops yesterday attacked a training camp near Kurchaloi, the hometown of Zalikhan Elikhadzhiyeva, 20, believed to be one of Saturday's bombers. Russian state television said they found three shakhid suicide bomber belts, with plastic explosive strapped to ball bearings and nails. Five people were killed in the attack on the camp, where a large cache of ammunition, weapons and extremist literature was reportedly found. News of a swift response to the attacks by Russian forces was bolstered by tough rhetoric from the Kremlin. Mr Putin came close to the bellicose tone of his notorious comments after 1999 apartment bombings when he said Chechen terrorists would be "hunted down to the shithouse". He said: "The bandits acting in Chechnya are part of the international terrorist network. With such people it is pointless carrying out preventive measures. "They must be rooted out of the cellars and caves in which they are hiding and destroyed." Vlad gets it. He said Russia would not be pushed around by terrorists whose "main goal ... is to hinder political settlement in Chechnya". |
| Posted by:Steve |