September 04, 2004
If It Weren't For Bad Luck...
It seems the Russians have managed to bungle another hostage crisis, resulting in massive deaths. There were at least 117 hostage deaths a Moscow theatre in 2002. That's the official toll and I don't know about you, but communism or not, I don't trust Russian officialdom. In that instance, it appears that almost all the deaths were caused by the secret anesthetic gas used. In other words, the Russian goverment did a much more efficient job of killing the hostages than the terrorist could have.
It is still unclear how the massive death toll in Beslan has transpired. How many were killed in the initial explosion that seems to precipitated the storming of the school? How many were quickly killed by terrorists as their position started to crumble? How many were killed in crossfire?
Again, knowing the Russians, we will probably never know. It does seem that the Russians have a special knack for maximising civilian casualities.
Nonetheless, pray for those who have lost their lives that they might be found in the peace of Christ. Memory eternal ! And pray for those left behind who will be grieving that they might find the peace of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
Posted by david at September 4, 2004 03:19 AM | TrackBackI really thought they would have learned something from the theatre siege. I was crying on the tube yesterday after buying a paper. I know Russia has a lot to learn as a state but to allow that to happen is unforgivable. Their own special forces, as we saw in the theatre, are useless but they could have had help from outside in something like this but they sent in local divisional troops - it's just appalling.
Posted by: Havdala at September 4, 2004 11:32 AM