Blast in Magas: Some details clarifiedRuslan Isayev, North Caucasus, September 16 – Investigations led by the Russian Prosecutor General’s office are ongoing at the blast site in Magas, Ingushetia.
Initially, several sources reported conflicting information. According to the Ingush Ministry of Interior, a GAZ-53 truck, with a man and woman inside, exploded in front of the building of the Federal Security Service (FSB), killing them and two other people. Investigators are now trying to determine how the truck, which came from the Ali-Yurt village, managed to get so close to the building.
Estimates of the number of people injured vary, anywhere from 25 to 40. However, the Ingush Ministry of Interior claims there were 31 wounded, with four in serious condition.
Murad, a citizen of Nazran, privately told me that the death toll is probably higher than had been reported. He was at the hospital when two of his injured relatives, FSB employees, were brought in, and while there, three other people that he knew died from their injuries.
The site of the blast has been cordoned off and no journalists are allowed, except local and Russian television reporters. The police and OMON troops guard access to the city, and all cars and trucks are searched.
Meanwhile, the situation in Magas appears calm, with all government and education facilities functioning normally. Nevertheless, Ingushetia is expecting a wave of mop-up operations. Murad Nashkhoyev, a well-known Chechen historian and human rights defender, told me he’s certain they would be carried out.
“The Magas explosion will result in serious consequences, not only for Ingush security officials, but for Chechen refugees as well. A search for the organizers of the blast will be launched and I’m certain it will bring suffering to the refugees. I anticipate thorough checks will be carried out in the camps, after which a large number of people will be forced to leave Ingushetia and return to Chechnya. To Russian leaders, dismantling the tent camps is tantamount to eliminating Basayev,” the human rights activist remarked.
(D/E,T) |
