Today Russia commemorates the fifth anniversary of hostage seizure at the Moscow Theater in Dubrovka St. relatives of 129 died are to bring flowers and light candles at the place of the tragedy.
      
      The Moscow theater hostage crisis was the seizure of a crowded Moscow theatre during the musical Nord-Ost on October 23, 2002 by about 40 armed Chechen Special Purpose Islamic Regiment militants who claimed allegiance to the separatist movement in Chechnya. They took 850 hostages and demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and the end to the Second Chechen war.
      
      After two-and-a-half day siege, Russian OSNAZ forces pumped nerve gas into the building ventilation system and raided it. Officially, 39 of the terrorists were killed by Russian forces, along with at least 129 of the hostages (nine of them foreigners).
      
      www.echo.msk.ru
      www.ng.ru

Katherine Cruz :
probably,the number of terrorist present is significant that is why the Russian government did that kind of action. Perhaps, if they did not do that and took other alternative way there would be greater number of civilians who will then die. It could be the fewer deaths they could possibly took as to kill the terrorists and save greater number of their citizrns.

Added: 28 October 2007 17:37