Are we heading back to biblical means to fight terrorism?

From Reuters as quoted in the ABC news is the following story:

Russia kills Chechen leader Basayev

Russia's most wanted man, Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, has been killed in an overnight operation by special forces, the state security chief says.

FSB security agency chief Nikolai Patrushev says Basayev, who has claimed responsibility for the bloody 2004 Beslan school attack, and his men had been planning an attack in southern Russia to coincide with Russia hosting the Group of Eight (G8) summit of world leaders this weekend.

More than 331 people, half of them children, were killed in Beslan after Russian forces tried to end a siege of the school which had been seized by Islamist militants linked to Chechnya's fight for independence.

Basayev, together with other Chechen fighters, was killed in Ingushetia, a region neighbouring Chechnya.

In a televised meeting with Mr Patrushev, President Vladimir Putin described Basayev's death as "deserved retribution" for Beslan and other attacks he had masterminded such as in the southern town of Budennovsk in 1995 where Chechens seized a hospital.

"This is deserved retribution against the bandits for our children in Beslan, in Budennovsk, for all these acts of terror they committed in Moscow and other Russian regions, including Ingushetia and Chechnya," Mr Putin said.

- Reuters

Pete's Points:

I seem to recall that in the Bible there is some reference to "An eye for an eye . . ."

I wonder if we are going to go back to this source for our new inspiration concerning means for fighting terrorism?

While there are "bleeding hearts" (otherwise badged as people fighting for civil rights) throughout the world who express dismay that the more civilized world is not following the precepts of the Geneva convention or is incarcerating terrorists in camps like the Americans do in their little holding on Cuba, it appears that the Russians have a different solution to the question.

Find them, kill them and tell those remaining - something like "we do onto others as they do unto us!"

One of the interesting things about 'terrorism' is that it thrives on creating terror in the mind. (DUH!)

Terrorists do NOT seem to recognise International Law, terrorists do NOT seem to recognise civil rights, terrorists do NOT seem to recognise any boundary in fact, apart from their single minded determination to achieve their objectives at any cost.

The Russians at least seem to have a view that "if you can't beat them - join them" only do it better!

In this approach I suspect that they have either learnt (or are learning) a few lessons from the Israelis who have been practising this form of immuno therapy for some time in their struggles against terrorists in their neck of the woods.

If terrorists do not recognise international law or human rights or indeed any of the advances that have been achieved in civilized societies over the years then to hell with them! The fact that there may well be some innocent casualties along the way is just too bad really. The populations that harbor terrorists need to learn that there are potential risks in doing so and make it impossible for these terrorists to live among them!

I think this new approach from the Russians sends several new messages to the people who support and practice terrorism namely:

1. You think we will respond in a civilized way to your barbarism? Think again!
2. We will not target the masses like you do - we will target your leaders instead.

Or perhaps more subtly:

1. until you decide to come to the negotiation table with your grievances and talk we will practice a little terror of our own and see how YOU like it!

Personally I am all in favour of culling wild dogs or crocodiles that kill innocent people.

I wonder if I can support killing people who behave in a similar fashion in the same way?