I have to say, hats off to the Russians.
For all the security the 40 Rebels probably felt because they had 700 bargaining chips, the Russians showed they weren't pussyfooting around. Two hostages dead, two wounded. Considering that they were trying to rescue 700, that's VERY nice, and very effective.
With all our wartalk against Iraq, we have a lot more support, it seems, than the Russians have in their struggle with the Chechen separatists... I don't understand either. Hell, like last week, I think it was, 12 Russian soldiers part of border patrol (or something to that effect) were killed in a little "raid." Then this. You have any idea how fast we'd be up in arms?
Well, outside politics aside, I'm happy to see some of these sorts of people get shown that they can't get what they want by taking people hostage, and my respect for Russian Hostage Rescue is bolstered again.
To paraphrase rap star:
"That was some real shit they did back in there."
Source: BBC News 24
But considering they saved like 700 people... 
but given that those terrorists were running around with high explosive strapped all over themselves, a low body count of the 700 people trapped is still an overall win.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
I've been hearing all sorts of numbers, but the ones I posted here were the ones I've been hearing the most.
No sooner than I posted this, in fact, did I hear on the radio that the current numbers are 90 hostages, and all but 3 tangos.
I think we won't really have a clue for a couple more days now. [ 10-26-2002: Message edited by: Koosh Man ]
I think I heard somewhere that like, 10 of the Chechens were already wanted by Interpol for a number of other stuff...
But hey, better poisoned and alive than shot in the head and dead. 
Subtlety's never been a strong suit of the Russian military, though.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
Wait, I made that number up!
Shows us how much news people know sometimes. :P
In public statements, they're swearing it was general anesthetic. 
quote:
Mr Mort probably says this to all the girls:
Seems like Russia was eager to use all that deadly gas they were saving up for World War III.In public statements, they're swearing it was general anesthetic.
Actually, Russian officials refused to comment on what the gas actually was, and the hospitals are saying it was an anesthetic.
And trust me, anesthetics can be very deadly, I can imagine a gas used on a wide number of people like that could be dangerous. Anesthesiology is largely dependant on it's specific patient's body weight metabolism, exact amount of the anesthetic consumed, etc. etc.
Not to mention, if they were aiming to kill with the gas, there are much easier ways of doing it, .
Making deadly gas weapons for WW3 doesn't take a government facility. It takes a school chemistry lab, or hell, your basement.
Some Russian official was quoted saying the operation was a "military success" because less than 30% of those they were sent to rescue died at friendly hands.
/boggle
"We won, but killed just under 30% of the good guys, too," would never be considered success in my military.
And Lashy's right--she should know, after all. There's a reason anesthesiologists are some of the highest-paid specialist doctors. That stuff ain't candy.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
