Chechen warlord owns up to school siege

[Gandalf]

Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev has reportedly claimed responsibility for the deadly school hostage crisis in Beslan.

A letter posted on a rebel website said that rebels commanded by Basayev "carried out a series of successful military operations..." including "the operation in the town of Beslan", said the letter signed by the notorious warlord.

The letter was posted two weeks after the two-day siege at a school in Beslan, in the southern Russian province of North Ossetia, which ended in a chaotic firefight between rebels and law enforcement authorities.

At least 339 people were killed, the majority of whom were children.

"The operation... in the town of Beslan [was carried out by] the second battalion of martyrs under the command of Colonel Orstkhoyev," said the letter.

The authenticity of the letter has not been verified, however the website is often used by Chechen rebels to post their statements.

Basayev, Chechnya's most feared warlord, said Russian security services initiated the storming of the Beslan school, and the rebels had been ready to release their 1,000-plus hostages if their demands for a Russian troop withdrawal from Chechnya were met.

"The storming was initiated by Russia's security services," the letter read.

Basayev also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Moscow subway stop on August 31, the day before the Beslan hostage taking, and for the downing of two airplanes that occurred a week prior.

Russia has offered a $US10 million reward for the capture of Basayev and fellow Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov.

[Gandalf]

Sorry, I forgot to list my source.

http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/reg ... 1&region=3

[fgalkin]

Ah, the man who has been proclaimed dead what? 3 times? by the Russian security forces.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin