Escaping children shot in the back. The roof of a gym filled with hundreds of hostages caves in, crushing people held inside. 1,200 hostages were held in a Beslan school by dozens of armed terrorists demanding the independence of Chechnya. After the seige from the military, maybe 1000 of those hostages survived. This is how the Beslan school hostage crisis went down, bringing to a horrifying end the most monstrous terrorist act in the Chechen insurgency.
It's the same story the last five years. Terroritory A is oppressed and wants independence from Nation B. Nation B crushes the independence movement with excessive force, radicalizing A's population. A begins to turn to terrorism. Innocent civilians in B die. A dooms its chance for independence.
When will these "rebels" learn? Wanton killing of civilians will not help the cause. It only sets the rest of humanity against your goals. Not sure where Putin, on the heels of the plane bombings, goes from here, but an all-out war with the Chechen rebels seems likely.
