This is the two-year anniversary of the mass murder of 186 schoolchildren and 158 adults at Beslan’s School No. 1 in North Ossetia, Russia. Memorials for the victims are being held all day. Blogger Sirius remembers in pictures. There’s a movie in the works. Some activists and lawmakers in Russia are lambasting the government for deadly mistakes made during the rescue operations.

Lost in the shuffle: the mastermind and the motivation behind this brutal massacre, Shamil Basayev and Chechen-based Muslim jihadists. Basayev was killed in July in a bomb blast. Here’s a timeline of Islamic terrorism in Russia since 1995. And before making the mistake of forgetting the jihadi roots of the bloodshed at Beslan, read this 2004 missive from Basayev (thanks to Jihad Watch):

In the name of God, Most Benevolent, Most Merciful!
(Bismillah Rahman Rahim!)

Praise Allah, the Lord of the worlds, Who created us Muslims and Who blessed us with Jihad on His Straight Way. Peace and blessing of Almighty Allah be on Prophet Muhammad, his family, his disciples and all of those who follow the Straight Way until the Day of Judgment!

By the Mercy of Allah the past year of 2003 was very successful and very good year for us because for the past year our Mujahideen (fighters) managed to inflict great damages on Kafirs (infidels) and Munafiqs (hypocrites – national traitors) and to deal crushing blows on the enemy.

According to my information, for the year 2003 all Mujahideen in Chechnya and on the enemy soil have conducted over three thousand blasts, destroyed and disabled over 1,000 units of military vehicles including armored vehicles, shot down 31 helicopters, eliminated over 8,000 Kafirs and over 700 Munafiks (national traitors) who cooperated with the invaders’ regime…

…I am hereby stating that whichever attempts the Kafirs would be making, nothing will stop this Jihad, which is becoming more and more active each day, because the dead and the wounded are being replaced by the new generation. Insha Allah (God Willing!), we have no problems with replenishing our forces. If Russia is degrading and dying out, the Chechen population is increasing in spite of the war, – and this is also a contribution of ordinary Chechens into the cause of Jihad. So, praise God (Alhamdulillah), we have no problems with our fighters.

…Praise God (Alhamdulillah!), we are dreaming of dying in Jihad, we are dreaming of dying on the way of Allah, so that we could earn Paradise and Mercy of Allah. Our dead are in Paradise, and your dead are in Hell. And our victors will also be in Paradise, and your losers will be humiliated and aggrieved.

By Mercy of Allah we have gone through another year of the war. I am calling on the Mujahideen to get even more consolidated and unite around our leadership even firmer, to strengthen the discipline, to strengthen the Nizam, to be steadfast and patient.

The victory is near! And may Allah help us on His Straight Way!

Allah Akbar! (God is Great!)

Abdallah Shamil Abu-Idris,
Amir of Brigade of Shaheeds Riyadus Salihiin

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Previous:

Russia’s 9/11
Yet another reason not to trust the NYTimes
Progress at the NYTimes
Update: The victims of Beslan
Beslan: Never forget
The children of Beslan
Islamist terrorism in Russia
The butcher of Beslan is dead