Russia seeks blame for hospital blast

[Ironduke]

Russia seeks blame for hospital blast

Military prosecutors in Russia say the head of an army hospital, which was destroyed in a suicide truck bombing, has been detained on suspicion of criminal negligence.
Another commander has been suspended.

At least 42 people are now known to have died in Friday's explosion, in the southern garrison town of Mozdok, near Chechnya.

Rescue workers, accompanied by sniffer dogs, have been retrieving bodies from the rubble of the collapsed four-storey building.

The town, in North Ossetia, is the headquarters for the Russian military campaign against Chechen separatists.

Officers at the military base had explicit orders to search every vehicle. But the suicide bomber was able to drive a truck packed with ammonium nitrate explosive outside the hospital's front doors and detonate it.

The Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Ivanov, who went to Mozdok on Saturday on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, described the attack as inexcusable.

Mr Putin blamed the attack on the "bloody evil deeds" of Chechen separatists but vowed to press ahead with his plans for a regional presidential election in Chechnya on 5 October.

"The terrorists will not succeed in imposing their criminal will," Mr Putin said in a condolence message.

Lone attacker

A spokesman for the moderate rebel Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov has said the Chechen leadership was not involved in the attack, but that he could not speak for other groups.

Separatists in Chechnya have rejected plans for an election and have vowed to resist Russian forces.

Friday's bomb was the bloodiest since May, when a truck bomb attack in Chechnya killed 60 people.

Last month, 15 people were killed at a rock concert in Moscow when two female bombers blew themselves up.

Witnesses said the bomber in the latest attack was a lone man who rammed the truck through the hospital gates.

"First the gates thundered, then the roar of an engine, then a bang - and everything started to collapse," hospital orderly Tatyana Avilova told Rossiya television.

More than 100 people were in the hospital at the time of the explosion. The victims were mainly soldiers who were receiving treatment after service in Chechnya.

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow says the attack is another blow to the Kremlin, which claims to have the situation in Chechnya under control.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3119925.stm

[BUFF]

err

Russia is far from containing Chechnya. Their is still a lot of problems to be dealt with.

[Bill]

Is it time for a global war on Islam?

Opinions?

[Lunatock]

Is it time for a global war on Islam?

Opinions?

If your that eager to side with Russia. Pretty much the same tactics as the Jiahdi's thier fighting, but have the means to wreak more havok.

Short desciption of the Russian Army. Oppressive, crooked, and bad allies. Really only changed thier outer appearence from the Soviet era.

And as far as the global war? In some cases, it could be a waste, to just waste 'em.

Rarer still, but still there. Offing a few could be a pain in the ass, if not dangerous to the would be offers.

Muhhamed Ali could be considered one example. Why end him? And back in the day, would anyone here have been completely willing to step in the ring with him?

[Bill]

I never said dick about allying with Russia.

I'd rather eat broken glass than to trust the godless communist heathens. ;)

[ZFBoxcar]

I think allying with Russia is necessary although not because of Islam, but because of China. China is interested in Siberia, they have every Russian weapon, they know all Russian/Soviet training doctrine, and they have lots of people and money. Russia has little money and even less people. Im in favour of letting Russia join NATO so we can use their bases on the southern border for the China containment plan.

[Bill]

I don't think it would be a good idea to allow Russia into NATO.

If we are going to fight the Chinese it should be in the strait where we have all the advantadges.

The last thing we need is to get entangled in a land war against the Chinese on the steppes of Asia.

[ZFBoxcar]

Im not suggesting it would be a good idea, but do you really think China will consult us on what our wishes would be? If they want Siberia which has a lot of Russia's oil supplies and other natural resources, wouldnt it give them more pause if they knew that the US and EU were standing behind the Russians? And if they proceeded to attack anyways, NATO would stand a better chance if we were already fortified on the border. Thats assuming we care about China beating the shit out of Russia. I do because China is a threat and Russia just isnt anymore. Sure it would be preferable to fight them in the straight, but we may not have a choice.

[Ironduke]

Don't you think Russia would use nuclear weapons if China tried to conquer Siberia?

[BUFF]

The Soviet doctrine is very outdated. I could see some surprises in China's doctrine considering they have been taking notes from US operations in the Gulf lately, but not dramatic changes. The PLA is still an under trained group of men, and basically is based on numerical superiority to get the job done.

At the current moment, it would be a bad idea aligning yourself with Russia, and there is no need to ally yourself with them, if a war broke out, are forces could get the job done(despite the PLA's size).

First:

1. The PLAAF would totally be demolished by USAF/USN fighters/bombers.

2. The PLAN would be wiped out in matter of hours by the USN.

3. The PLA would be sitting ducks for USAF/USN jets.

Basically the Chinese Armed Forces would be demolished.

[Gio]

Don't you think Russia would use nuclear weapons if China tried to conquer Siberia?

Good point, i've read Russian policy is now to go nucler on first signs of hostilies because the quality of their forces has deteriated(sp) so much.

[Bill]

ZF, my point here is this.

IF China invades Siberia, and IF Russia doesn't retaliate with nukes(and oh you bet your ass they would), THEN the USN strikes China from the straits on the far side of Taiwan, thus opening a two front war, anhillating PLAN, a good chunk of the PLAAF, and wiping out C4i nodes and the PRC's industrial warmaking capacity....all without exposing any US ground troops to a massive numerical disadvantadge.

As a bonus, we can strike when WE are ready, as opposed to facing the PRC in a land battle when THEY feel they're ready.

Not only that the PRC Politburo will panic at the concept of a massive USMC landing in China proper. You don't think they've forgotten Inchon do you?

I like my way better.

[BUFF]

We would never invade or go toe to toe with the PRC as M21 said.

I would consider it suicide, since the MASSIVE size of their armed forces.

[Bill]

i don't think it would be suicide, just unnecesary.

There is no reason for us to ever engage PRC in another major land war so long as we have the means to bleed them out from the air and sea.

[BUFF]

Yes. But now as I think of it IF we ever did get engaged an a land war with the PLA the same outcome would still occur they would be destroyed.

US forces now a days are 'leaner and meaner'. In turn this means that the US can accomplish objectives with a smaller amount of men with the overwhelming firepower, and speed and mobility of our armed forces.

Take the 82nd Airborne Division for instace, they have reformed into a smaller unit capable of seizing airfields and such. MOBILITY, FLEXIBILITY, FIREPOWER are what US forces are based on now a days, and in Iraq has proven to be succesful warplan.