‘My Daughter Burned Before My Eyes’

Yesterday, a Foreign Ministry spokesman announced the death of Dogan’s 10 year-old daughter after her family identified her body.

While Speaking to Zaman amidst the debris of what was left of the school razed during the rescue operation, Alana’s father said, "My daughter burned alive before my eyes and we could do nothing."

Films, he said, could not imagine such violence. "They killed our children in an inhuman way," he said. "When we entered, people were burning. I saw some burned corpses. The sports center was jet black. 300 or 400 out of 1200 people were rescued."

Dogan recalls pleading for a weapon from the security forces. He mentioned his sorrow and said, "They did not even give me a weapon. I could not do anything to rescue my daughter."

Alana’s mother, Anetta Adiava, who was released with her eight-month old daughter on the second day of the hostage crisis, could not be coaxed from her house. Seyfi Dogan said that his wife is suffering mental shocks since she could not find her daughter. They went from hospital to hospital hoping to find their daughter.

Alana’s mother and sister Milena were rescued through the mediation of Ruslan Ausev, the former Ingusetya leader.