by Lisa McFayden ,
September 6, 2004
I think many people, including myself, were sickened watching the unfolding drama in Beslan in the republic of North Ossetia, near the Chechen border in southern Russia last week. The fact that these people, if you can even call them that, had used school children as pawns in their own political battles made the drama so much worse.
Heartbreaking pictures were broadcast around the world of families waiting anxiously for news of their loved ones inside the school, of children and their teachers running for their lives once the firing started, and of people searching hospital lists for the names of their family and friends.
One Russian man, albert Kundukhov, has lost his mother, wife and daughter and says, "Right now at least I have a chance to identify them. I need to put something in the coffin." One hostage, a 13-year-old girl, said, "at first I thought it was a joke, then they started to shoot the windows, and glass fell on the people. They were shooting above our heads and they killed a few people, and I knew it was real."
The tragedy started on Wednesday September 1st, when, moments after a school ceremony, masked gunmen charged into the school shouting "'allahu akhbar". after a brief gunfight, the insurgents forced the children and their parents and teachers into the gymnasium and told them to sit on the floor. The conditions were stifling and there was no food or water. Children witnessed the terrorists killing a man who tried to stand. He was shot in the head along with another man who was shot in the back and dragged across the floor trailing blood beside young children.
Dozens of children were forced to sit underneath a basketball hoop, which was laden with bombs with more lining the walls and floors.
The siege had alarming similarities with another terror act in a Moscow theatre two years ago where over 700 hostages were held for three days. That situation ended tragically when Russian soldiers went in to overcome the terrorists. One hundred and twenty-nine hostages lost their lives that day.
This situation ended even more tragically on Friday when an explosion was heard from the school and soldiers stormed the school in an effort to save the hostages. Shocking pictures were broadcast all over the world as children, teachers, and parents ran for their lives. Bombs were let off in the gymnasium killing over 100 children. Pictures were broadcast showing people carrying injured, half naked children to safety. Outside the school grounds, white sheets were placed over bodies recovered, with distressed families looking among them for a familiar face.
Three Hundred and eighy people, over half of them children, have now been killed with many children still missing. One question going through in my mind is why? Why hold defenceless children who do not understand the politics of their country and Chechnya? Why hold defenceless children in a room full of bombs? Why hold defenceless children and make them watch two men being shot and dragged across the floor trailing blood?
Things will only be made worse when the men of Beslan have mourned their children and go to seek revenge. How many more men will the women of Beslan then have to mourn for? Many of those in Beslan will be waiting to see what the Russian President, Vladimir Putin plans to do with the Chechens who have been fighting Russian forces for 10 years. Putin says, "We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them,"
Within the last two weeks they have also been linked to the suicide bomber on a subway killing nine commuters and the two plane crashes killing over 90 innocent people. Chechens may want sympathy while they try to gain independence in Chechnya, but they sure as hell aren’t going to get it.
Whatever has driven the Chechens terrorists to do this is no reason whatsoever to involve defenceless children.
all anyone can ask is why?
Why?
Lisa McFadyen is a 24-year-old journalist from Paisley, Scotland and a self confessed hockey nut. She writes regular articles from Scotland. Her website is www.lisamcfadyen.tk
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