Iraq

Low-intensity combat between US and Iraqi forces and rebels continued in various cities, particularly Falluja. There were sharp clashes in Tall ‘Afar and Samarra (see 30 September-5 October). Over the past months, rebels had managed to assassinate some Iraqi VIPs, abduct foreign aid workers, and conduct raids and bombings against Iraqi police in the cities, and these attacks continued. Eighty US troops were killed in action this month. Rebel casualties were almost certainly much higher.

On the 4th, the interim government extended its ban on operations by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera indefinitely (CNN.com).

Haiti

Tropical storm “Jeanne” struck Haiti. The northwest part of the country, including the city of Gonaives, was hit especially hard by flooding that accompanied the storm. About 3,000 people were killed and some 300,000 were made homeless. The rice and fruit harvest in the Artibonite, the country’s main agricultural region, was destroyed (AP, Reuters).

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2004

Israel, Gaza Strip

Israeli forces began a major operation into the northern Gaza Strip on 29 September. It appeared to be aimed at depriving militants of the means to launch short range rockets into Israel. In the following days there were clashes in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahaya and Jabalya. Around mid-October there were some tactical withdrawals coinciding with the start of Ramadan. On 24 October, Khan Yunis refugee camp in the south was raided (CNN.com).

1-3 SEPTEMBER 2004

Russia

Terrorists seized control of a school in Beslan, North Ossetia. Ultimately hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded in the ensuing seige and liberation of the school by security forces.

Authorities later estimated that 32 terrorists assembled in a nearby forest before driving to the school. 1,128 children, parents and teachers were taken hostage.1 Some were killed as the terrorists entered. The terrorists reportedly demanded, among other things, the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Chechnya.2 One of the surviving participants in the operation later said a goal of the attack, according to the leader, was to “start a war across the Caucasus.”3 Early on the 2nd, 26 women and children were released.

The circumstances surrounding the end of the seige around midday on the 3rd are not completely clear. Russian security forces, under a cease-fire agreement with the terrorists, were attempting to remove bodies near the school building. Some accounts are that the terrorists exploded a bomb in the gymnasium, where many of the hostages were being held. However, this may have been accidental as the terrorists tried to rearrange the explosives in the gym. Scores of hostages began to flee, the terrorists opened fire on hostages and others, and Russian forces opened fire and launched an assault. However, others say that the security forces fired first. In August 2006 a report by Russian MP Yuri Savelyev argued, based on information about the location and nature of blast damage in the school, that it was the first bazooka and flamethrower attacks by security forces which led to the massive explosions inside the school and the ensuing chaos.4 Three hundred thirty-one hostages were killed, most of whom were children; over 700 hostages were wounded, about half of which were children. Most of the civilian dead were reportedly killed by the gymnasium bomb. Thirty terrorists and 10 Russian troops were also killed.

In the following days, authorities said that Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev and former Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov were behind the operation. Basayev later appeared to claim responsibility for masterminding the attack. Maskhadov denied involvement (CNN.com). In the years following the massacre, critics of President Vladimir Putin charged that there was a good opportunity to negotiate the release of the hostages through Aslan Maskhadov and others, but that the government wanted to avoid the possibility of the terrorists escaping or of Maskhadov's standing being enhanced, and therefore ordered the assault. Russian officials, for their part, have denied these charges and have said that Savelyev's arguments are based on facts which are not persuasive.5

2 SEPTEMBER 2004

South Korea, nuclear research

The IAEA said South Korea had recently admitted that in 2000, government scientists had enriched “milligram quantities” of uranium to near-nuclear-weapons level using a laser process (CNN.com).

Central African Republic, politics

President Francois Bozize dissolved the government (Reuters).

Malaysia, civil affairs

The Federal Court, the country’s highest court, overturned the 2000 sodomy conviction of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and freed him from prison (CNN.com).

3 SEPTEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The Libyan government agreed to pay compensation to the victims of the April 1986 bombing of the La Belle nightclub in Berlin (CNN.com).

5-6 SEPTEMBER 2004

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

India and Pakistan held talks at the foreign minister level in New Delhi. They discussed the Kashmir dispute and other issues (AP).

9 SEPTEMBER 2004

United States, foreign policy

Secretary of State Colin Powell said the atrocities committed against black Africans by pro-government militia in the Darfur region amount to genocide (CNN.com).

Indonesia

A car bomb attack on the Australian embassy in Jakarta killed at least nine people and injured over 180. It appeared that Jemaah Islamiya was responsible (CNN.com).

Pakistan

The military said it conducted air and artillery strikes on an al Qaeda training camp in Khonkhila, in the Waziristan region (CNN.com).

10 SEPTEMBER 2004

Turkey

There were television reports that Habib Akdas, suspected of leading the al Qaeda cell that carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul in November 2003, had recently been killed in Iraq by a US airstrike (AP).

12 SEPTEMBER 2004

Israel

Tens of thousands demonstrated in Jerusalem against plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip (CNN.com).

China, Hong Kong SAR

In local elections, pro-democracy politicians won 24 seats in the 60-seat Legislative Council, a modest gain from before (CNN.com).

13 SEPTEMBER 2004

Russia

President Vladimir Putin proposed several measures to improve the country’s ability to fight terrorists. He said, “The fight against terrorism should become a national task”, and proposed changing the electoral system for the State Duma to a purely proportional one as a way of increasing the strength of political parties and thus increasing the mobilization of society. He also proposed a new counter-terrorism agency, as well as a Public Chamber which would increase public involvement in counter-terrorism. Putin said he was forming a Special Federal Commission for the North Caucasus to improve the economy of that region (CNN.com).

16 SEPTEMBER 2004

South Africa

As large segments of the public sector went on strike, tens of thousands demonstrated in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and elsewhere for higher pay and benefits (CNN.com).

19 SEPTEMBER 2004

Colombia

Miguel Arroyave, leader of about one-third of the AUC ‘right-wing’ militia, was killed, apparently by fellow AUC members. Arroyaye had been involved in peace talks with the government (Reuters).

19-20 SEPTEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

Iraqi interim prime minister Ayad Allawi visited Britain (CNN.com).

20 SEPTEMBER 2004

Indonesia, politics

In the presidential runoff, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won 60.6% of the vote and President Megawati Sukarnoputri won 39.4% (CNN.com).

Diplomatic affairs

The United States removed its remaining economic sanctions against Libya in response to Libya’s elimination of its NBC weapons programs (CNN.com).

21 SEPTEMBER 2004

Nepal

About 15,000 people demonstrated in Kathmandu for the restoration of parliament, dissolved in May 2002 by King Gyanendra (Reuters).

24 SEPTEMBER 2004

Asia and The Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s annual session (CNN.com).

25 SEPTEMBER 2004

Brunei, politics

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the country’s absolute ruler, reconvened the State Legislative Council, a legislative body appointed by Hassanal, for the first time since 1984 (CNN.com).

26 SEPTEMBER 2004

Pakistan

Amjad Hussain Farooqi was killed in a shootout with security forces in Nawab Shah. Farooqi was a member of the Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (Movement of Islam's Holy War) and was believed to be a high level al Qaeda operative. He was suspected of involvement in assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf and in various attacks on Western interests (CNN.com).

Syria

Izz al-Din al-Sheikh Khalil, a senior member of Hamas, was killed when a car exploded in Damascus (CNN.com).

30 SEPTEMBER 2004

Iraq

A car bomb attack at the opening of a sewage treatment plant in Baghdad killed 41 people (CNN.com).

30 SEPTEMBER-5 OCTOBER 2004

Iraq

A brigade-sized force of US and Iraqi troops, with armor and air support, entered Samarra to root out what was estimated to be a force of several hundred rebels. By 5 October it was in control, though some operations against rebels continued (CNN.com).

Notes

1. Yuri Zarakhovich, “Should Russia Share Blame for the Beslan Massacre?”, Time.com, 31 August 2006.

2. “Standoff in Russia school siege", CNN.com, 1 September 2004.

3. “Suspect: We wanted to start a war", CNN.com, 6 September 2004.

4. Zarakhovich, “Should Russia Share Blame for the Beslan Massacre?”.

5. Zarakhovich, “Should Russia Share Blame for the Beslan Massacre?”.