Beslan School Attack
The Beslan School Attack, which took place from September 1-3, 2004, in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia, was a tragic hostage crisis involving approximately 1,300 individuals, many of whom were children. Armed insurgents, widely believed to be Chechen separatists, stormed the school on the first day of the academic year, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. The situation escalated over three days, culminating in a chaotic confrontation between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces, which involved explosions and gunfire. Tragically, the incident resulted in the deaths of 331 civilians, including 172 children, along with many of the attackers.
The attack drew widespread condemnation and revulsion, particularly due to the brutality shown towards the young hostages. In response to the crisis, the Russian government faced significant scrutiny regarding its handling of the situation, while the Russian public expressed skepticism about the government’s transparency. The Beslan attack also influenced Russian domestic policy, leading to increased security measures and a tightening of governmental control. This incident remains a poignant reminder of the ongoing conflict surrounding Chechnya's quest for independence and the human cost of such violent confrontations.
Beslan School Attack
Date: Sep. 1-3, 2004.
Place: Beslan, Ossetia (Russia).
Incident: Armed guerrillas, widely thought to be Chechen separatists, seized about 1,300 hostages, including many children, in a school. The attackers demanded that Russian troops leave nearby Chechnya, a mostly Islamic member of the Russian federation where guerrillas had been fighting for independence since the breakup of the Soviet Union. On the third day of the crisis explosions were heard inside the school and shooting broke out between hostage-takers, Russian military and security forces, and local residents. In the end 331 civilians died, including 172 children and most of the hostage-takers.
Context: The attack was one of several such attacks by backers of independence for the Muslim state of Chechnya in the Caucasus region of southwest Russia. It bore similarities to the seizure of hostages in a Moscow theater in October 2002.
Known or presumed perpetrators: Although differing accounts later emerged of who the attackers were, a notorious leader of Chechen nationalists, Shamil Baseyev, later claimed responsibility for the attack (and for three other attacks the previous week: a bombing at a Moscow subway station and the downing of two Russian passenger jets by suicide bombers).
Impact: The fact that the Beslan school attack killed many children (and accounts of brutality towards children hostages) caused widespread public revulsion inside and outside Russia. The Russian government also came under fire for its conduct during the crisis, although President Vladimir Putin largely escaped widespread blame.
The Incident
At 9:30 on Sep. 1, 2004, about 30 armed attackers arriving in military trucks invaded the Beslan Middle School #1 on the first day of school. The attackers seized about 1,300 hostages, including many children between ages 7 and 13 who were attending the school.
Beslan is a town of about 33,000 situated in North Ossetia in the Caucasus region of southwest Russia.
The attackers wired the school with explosives, particularly the gymnasium where the young hostages were herded at the start of a crisis that would last for about 51 hours.
Early on in the crisis the attackers shot and killed 20 adult males and threw their bodies from the school, evidently to intimidate Russian security forces who soon surrounded the building.
The attackers demanded the removal of Russian troops from Chechnya; they also demanded the presence of several government officials from the region and of Dr. Leonid Roshal, a pediatrician who had been instrumental in negotiating with hostage-takers in a Moscow theater in October 2002.
Roshal opened negotiations with the hostage-takers in the school but was not successful. The gunmen refused to let food or water into the building despite torrid late-summer heat. Some young hostages were instructed to drink their own urine instead.
In the afternoon of the second day 26 hostages were released, mostly mothers with infants. Shortly afterwards rocket propelled grenades were detonated by the hostage-takers to keep security forces at bay.
On the afternoon of the third day (Sep. 3) the gunmen said medical personnel could remove corpses from the school grounds. However, at about 1 o'clock, as medical workers approached the school, gunfire broke out. Its origin was not clear, but it led to a chaotic two-hour battle between the hostage-takers, Russian security forces from several agencies, and armed fathers of hostages. At least one tank was used, along with helicopter gunships, and the hostage-takers detonated several bombs.
In the end officials said 331 civilians and 11 security forces died, along with 31 of 32 attackers. At least 172 children were among those killed.
Perpetrators/Suspects
From the outset the identity of the attackers was a matter of differing accounts. In general, however, the attack has been blamed on Chechen separatists engaged in a battle since 1991 for an independent republic of Chechnya. (Chechnya is a mostly Muslim province south of North Ossetia.)
The Russian government issued a statement claiming the attackers were a mixed group that included Chechens, Uzbeks, Tatars, and Arabs, all said to be associated with the Chechen terrorist/guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev.
On September 17, 2004, Chechen guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev issued a statement claiming responsibility for the school attack. Basayev is a member of a family of Chechens widely associated with deadly terrorist attacks staged as part of the provincial independence movement. He claimed the Beslan attackers included 12 Chechen men and 2 Chechen women, 8 Ingush, 2 Ossetians, 2 Arabs, 2 Russians, a Kabarda, a Tartar, and a Guran.
Broader Impact
The fact that so many lives were lost, including so many children, generated significant criticism of the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At least one public opinion poll indicated that over 80% of Russians believe significant facts about the event have been hidden by the government.
On the other hand, subsequent tales of the brutality of the hostage-takers (e.g. refusing to let food and water be sent into the school)-and the fact that children were taken hostage in the first place-also caused significant revulsion towards the Chechen independence movement.
In the United States President George Bush expressed solidarity with the Russian government and offered assistance. The attack on Beslan made it easier for Putin to join the global "war on terror," thereby helping improve relations with the Bush administration.
In a reaction not unlike the U.S. PATRIOT Act of 2001, the Beslan incident prompted Putin to propose legislation that increased his power over semi-autonomous regions and instituted new security regulations throughout the country (such as making it harder to buy, sell, and borrow cars and re-instituting the death penalty).
History/Background
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 Chechen nationalists have fought for independence, combating troops from the Russian Federation sent to Chechnya to suppress the independence movement. Pro-independence forces have brought their fight to Russia, carrying out a series of hijackings, bombings, and hostage-taking incidents in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia. The independence movement has taken on religious overtones, since the majority of Chechens are Muslims and the leader of the independence movement has called on Muslims to take up arms against Russia.
Chechnya is regarded as a federal republic within the Russian Federation by some and as an independent republic by others. Although the pro-Russian government claims to have been elected by over 80% of the voters, elections have been disputed by outside observers.
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