Russian media Monday accused the security services of placing a "mole" among radical Chechen rebels who seized a Moscow theatre last October in a siege that ended with 129 deaths.

Terrorist groups that pose a clear threat to the United States, including the group behind the Times Square bombing attempt, have been omitted from the State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organization list.

Yesterday was Armed Services Day in Russia, so, of course, there were observances in Moscow. But yesterday also was the 60th anniversary of a Soviet crime perpetrated against the Chechen people -- and, of course, there was no official observance in Moscow.

The bloody denouement to the Beslan tragedy was barbaric: no other word will suffice. There could never be any justification for terrorists who we are told shot fleeing hostages in the back - nor for those who died at the hands of the ill-judged Spetsnaz operation. I have been asked many times about Chechen involvement in this appalling bloodbath. Of course there can be no denying the direct link between the Beslan tragedy and the war in Chechnya.

As a result of the fighting in Chechnya, tens of thousands of Chechens and Russians have been killed. Human rights groups speak of war crimes, while Moscow characterizes its operations as the struggle against terrorism. The situation was supposed to improve after a recent Chechen referendum and elections. But has...

Any solution to the conflict in Chechnya must be realistic and pragmatic in its goals. Putin's actions have principally served to strengthen the extremists on both sides, while the moderates, who are the best hope for a lasting peace, have been killed or driven into exile.

Chechnya, a Connecticut-sized province stretching from fertile farmland south into craggy mountains, was home to about 1 million people a decade ago. In nine years of fighting, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, thousands have been "disappeared" by Russian troops and about one-fourth of the population is believed to have died.

In a twist of irony, Russia"s cooperation in the War on Terrorism has caused Washington to ignore the growing terror threat in Chechnya. The almost unbelievable level of suffering the Chechens have endured is radicalizing them and making terrorism more likely.