Second Suicide Blasts Kill 12, but Twin Explosions Will Not Lead to Legal Reform
Two suicide bombers, including one impersonating a police officer, killed at least 12 people and injured 18 others in the southern Russian province of Dagestan on March 30. Nine police officers were among the dead. The blasts in the North Caucasus region came two days after a twin suicide bombing in Moscow's subway system, killing 39 and wounding many more.
The Associated Press comments that the Moscow subway bombings shocked a country that had grown accustomed to such violence being confined to a restive southern corner such as Dagestan, and marked the return of terrorism to the everyday lives of Muscovites after a six-year break.
The Moscow Times comments that security and political analysts believe that the twin explosions will not lead to a stifling of political and civil freedoms or a revamp of the law enforcement agencies, as has happened after major terrorist attacks in the past. In addition, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is unlikely to strip decision-making powers from the more liberal-sounding President Dmitry Medvedev. The Metro reports that Putin vowed to "drag out of the sewer" the masterminds behind the bombings. He said: "We know that they are lying low but it is already a matter of the pride of law enforcement agencies to drag them out of the sewer and into broad daylight."
BBC News adds that amid the outrage, sections of Russia's press have been scathing about what they see as the Kremlin's failure to protect or even inform citizens. Several newspapers railed at the authorities, criticizing the state-controlled TV channels for inadequate coverage.
According to London's Times, Russian security services were hunting for more "Black Widows" yesterday amid fears that the women who blew themselves up in the Moscow Metro were part of a 30-strong suicide squad trained by a Chechen terrorist leader. Agents from the Federal Security Service believe that the women were avenging the death of Said Buryatsky, the leading ideologue of the Islamist rebels in the North Caucasus, who was killed this month in Ingushetia.
The Guardian notes that Russians observed a day of mourning yesterday, with Muscovites laying flowers and lighting candles at the scene of the explosions. More than 70 people were still being treated in hospitals.