EDITORIAL
- BREAKING NEWS - 31 dead in suicide attack at Moscow airport [24/01/2011]
- 'He heard one of the people waiting for him had been killed' [24/01/2011]
- Eyewitness - at the Aeroexpress terminal [24/01/2011]
The return of terror
by Tim Wall at 24/01/2011 19:34
According to breaking news coming in as we go to press, Moscow has apparently once again fallen victim to a heinous terror attack.
Reports of a suicide bomb at Domodedovo Airport, killing at least 31 people and injuring around 100, will fill everyone with horror – as we fear that insecurity has returned with a vengeance to the Russian capital.
It prompts fears that we have once again been plunged back into the maelstrom of bloody conflict between the federal government and fundamentalist Islamic terrorists from the North Caucasus.
There are other possible theories, of course, but the most likely at this stage appears to be a resurgence of the wars of the 1990s and 2000s fought over Chechnya.
If this is the case, then we could be in for grim times ahead.
Ethnic tensions are already at fever pitch after the alleged killing of a Spartak football fan by a Caucasus native in December, and the subsequent nationalist riots in Moscow.
Russian law enforcement authorities will no doubt launch a massive crackdown after this terrorist outrage. Sadly, experience has shown us that such a crackdown – like similar anti-terrorist actions around the world – will not lead by itself to an end to the violence, but could fan the flames of ethnic conflict further.
The danger of an upsurge in violence between federal forces and terrorist groups advocating a separate Islamic state in the North Caucasus is now increased significantly.
Also, there is now an increased risk of more widespread ethnic conflict here in Moscow – as ultranationalist groups seek to exploit the current situation for their extremist ends.
Amid the carnage, there will no doubt be emotional calls for revenge. But a spiral in violence will only aid those extremists on both sides who want to see ethnic conflict spread throughout the country.
Even now, the vast majority of ordinary people throughout Russia and in the North Caucasus do not want to see an escalation of this violence.
Russia has always been, and will remain, a vast, multi-ethnic country, with various religious and national traditions.
In these dark hours, just as the Soviet peoples pulled together to defeat fascism in World War II, we need to remember this common heritage – and seek an ultimately peaceful solution to this awful conflict.
"Even now, the vast majority of ordinary people throughout Russia and in the North Caucasus do not want to see an escalation of this violence.
Russia has always been, and will remain, a vast, multi-ethnic country, with various religious and national traditions.
In these dark hours, just as the Soviet peoples pulled together to defeat fascism in World War II, we need to remember this common heritage – and seek an ultimately peaceful solution to this awful conflict."
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