DUSHANBE, August 31, 2009, Asia-Plus — A memorial service will be held in the Dushanbe St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral tomorrow to mark the anniversary of the Beslan tragedy, according to the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe.
Representatives from Russian, Ossetian, Tatar Kazakh and other ethnic communities as well as representatives from the Russian Embassy will participate in the service to commemorate victims of the Beslan tragedy, the source said.
He added that Russia announced September 3 a day of solidarity with victims of terrorism. From September to September 3, numerous actions to support victims of terrorist acts will be held across the Russian Federation, according to him.
The Beslan school hostage crisis (also referred to as the Beslan school siege or Beslan massacre) began when a group of armed terrorists, demanding an end to the Second Chechen War, took more than 1,100 people (including some 777 children
) hostage on September 1, 2004, at School Number One (SNO) at the town of Beslan, North Ossetia-Alania, an autonomous republic in the North Caucasus region in the Russian Federation. On the third day of the standoff, Russian security forces stormed the building. A series of explosions shook the school, followed by a fire which engulfed the building and a chaotic gunbattle between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces. Ultimately, at least 334 hostages were killed, including 186 children. Hundreds more were wounded or reported missing.
The hostage taking was carried out by the Riyadus-Salikhin Reconnaissance and Sabotage Battalion of Chechen Martyrs group led by Shamil Basayev, who was an independent warlord at the time.
