The Screaming Eagles once again say "nuts," straight from Centcom:

Title:
KIDNAPPERS STOPPED; VICTIM RESCUED

Release Date:
4/27/2006

Release Number:
06-04-02P

Description:
MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION - NORTH
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT)
TIKRIT, IRAQ (FOB SPEICHER)
APO AE 09363

TIKRIT, Iraq– An Iraqi civilian kidnapped in Samarra was rescued April 27 when Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division stopped the would-be kidnappers’ vehicles and released the citizen.

Units stationed in Samarra had already been aware of a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) report for a silver sedan suspected of being involved in a kidnapping when some alert Soldiers noticed a pair of silver sedans along a major thoroughfare in southern Salah ah Din province.

The two automobiles were parked next to each other as observers noticed the occupants passing what appeared to be a rifle between the two vehicles. Soldiers began pursuit of the vehicles but were unable to maintain contact.
The pursuing Soldiers radioed other troops in the area to be on the lookout for the two sedans.

Soon afterward another patrol spotted one of the sedans and was able to stop the vehicle. Three occupants inside the car were detained while the vehicle was searched. While searching the vehicle Soldiers soon discovered the bound and gagged kidnap victim inside the trunk of the car.

Shortly thereafter Soldiers stopped two more cars matching the description of the suspected criminals involved, and detained their two occupants.

The victim was promptly transported to a nearby military medical facility and the five detainees taken to a secured location for further questioning.

Anti-Iraqi Forces, to include criminals, continue to victimize the common people of Iraq as they threaten and extort its citizens. Coalition and Iraqi security forces will continue to work together to eliminate this type of criminal threat so that the streets will be safe for all Iraqis.

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A new video released by the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah shows insurgents in Iraq committing attrocities contrary to the Geneva Conventions. The video shows three Arab civilians being murdered by the group. The video can be seen here.

The terror organization calls the murders 'executions' after condemning the three for 'apostasy'. The maximum penalty for apostasy under Islamic, or Sharia, law is death.

After the three 'confess' to the 'crime' of working in a civilian capacity for the U.S. in Iraq, the three are shot in the head with pistols. Their bodies fall into a grave which has already been dug.

Unlike U.S. and other Coalition forces who have been accused of Geneva Convention violations, the Army of Ansar al-Sunna openly boasts of this murder. So far, the U.S. has prosecuted over two-dozen American soldiers over the Abu Ghraib scandal alone.

The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah has released dozens of similar videos in the past. It is common practice for the group to murder any civilians working in any capacity with the Iraqi government.

The group is based in Northern Iraq in areas with large Kurdish minorities. It is thought to have split off from the more well known Ansar al-Islam, once part of the larger al Qaeda network. The head of al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been in Iraq prior to the U.S. led liberation working with the group. The U.S. operation all but annhialated the group, with Arab remnants forming Tawhid and Jihad (later al Qaeda) and Kurdish remnants forming Ansar al-Sunnah. Peshmirga forces have effectively wiped out al-Sunnah remnants in Kurdistan.

Where is the outrage? Where are the protests? Where is the U.N. investigation?

Reuters:

A statement accompanying the recording said the video showed "the confessions of three apostates working in ... a company dealing with American forces that destroyed weapons and ammunition of the former Iraqi army".

"I'm Ammar Nasser ... I work with the Americans," said one man with long hair. The other two men made remarks in response to an off-camera speaker, but the audio was not clear.

Warning: Two graphic images follow. more...

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Steven Vincent left for Iraq one year ago yesterday as a freelance journalist for several publications--including the Christian Science Monitor. He never returned. Although this article is a few weeks old, it is a fitting tribute to a Steven Vincent, who never played the moral equvialency card. R.I.P.

Here is a taste of Vincent's own words:

"Were we wrong in Iraq? Yes, in one major sense, beyond even the shortage of troops, failure to anticipate the Baathist-led insurrection and Abu Ghraib: we did not, and still don't understand the regressive, parasitical, unreasonable presence of tribal Islam - the black hole in Iraqi and Arab cultures that consumes their best and most positive energies. Because of our blindness, we find ourselves fighting an enemy we do not see, comprehend, or even accurately identify."

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Peace Activist Norman Kember has given an interview to BBC. Kember is one classy peace activist. Norman was on eof the four CPT hostages. Kember also speaks well of Tom Fox who was murdered by the terrorists who held them.

Via BBC :Peace campaigner Norman Kember has given an emotional account of his ordeal as a hostage in Iraq.

Mr Kember, 74, of Pinner in north west London, was held in Baghdad for four months before his rescue on 23 March.

American peace worker Tom Fox, 54, was killed weeks before the rescue. When asked about his fellow hostage, Mr Kember said he was a "remarkable man".

His voice breaking with emotion, he spoke of the moment his rescuers arrived.

"We had this sort of futon thing on the floor, and we were lying there, and suddenly we heard noise outside and then somebody calling out and then the breaking of glass and then up the stairs came these SAS gents," he said.

"It's unbelievable because it was so sudden and first of all, because they were British, they wanted to know if 'Mr Kember' was there, and I said, 'Yes' and then they said, because I was the person at that stage chained to the door, 'This is a bolt-cutter job,' so they went down and cut the padlock and released me."

Mr Kember said he "continues to thank" his rescuers.

"They were brave. I disagree with their profession, but it is ironic isn't it - you go as a peace activist and you are rescued by the SAS, which is perhaps the most violent of all the British forces.

"Anyway I am grateful to them. I met one of them by chance on the way out of Baghdad and he was quite happy to chat to me and I was happy to chat to him."

Norman Kember Acrchive here.

The Jawa Report's Hostage Archive Here.

Don't forget hostage Jeffrey Ake and many others are still missing.

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The wife of American hostage Jeffrey Ake has spoken out for the first time since her husband was taken hostage in Iraq a year ago today. Jeffrey Ake is one of two Americans still being held hostage in Iraq. Dean Sadek, also held hostage, was kidnapped in November 2004.

We applaud Liliana Ake for breaking her silence. It is difficult to go against the advice of the U.S. State Department and private 'experts' working for insurance companies who have little knowledge about how the hostage situation in Iraq is different than in other areas of the world.

Many of Jeffrey Ake's friends and family have dropped comments or e-mails to me thanking The Jawa Report for keeping Jeffrey's memory alive. Now that Liliana has given us the green light, let us never let a day pass without mentioning Jeffrey Ake publicly.

As former hostage Terry Anderson once said, "The tragic thing is that the torment is as much from the outside by countries and people indifferent to their fate as on the inside by their captors."

We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Jeffrey Ake and Dean Sadek. No politcal cause can ever justify the taking of civilians hostage. It is a form of barbarity with no excuse.

We can only hope that the media, Muslims, and Leftist organizations will begin to pay attention to the plight of hostages who may not be one of their political allies.

For more, visit the Jeffrey Ake hostage archive here. Visit our extensive hostage archives here. And please, keep Jeff and his family in your prayers.

CNN which also features video: more...

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I hope they are returned and the criminals who took them face justice soon.

BBC : In an internet statement, their captors issued a threat to kill them if US forces did not release Iraqi prisoners.

Describing the men as "German agents", they said they would be killed if men and women were not freed from the "occupation prisons".

BERLIN (Reuters) via Bareknucklepolitics : - Two German hostages held in Iraq since the end of January have appeared in a video pleading for help, German media reported on Sunday.

The two men appearing in the video were identified by German broadcasters as Rene Braeunlich and Thomas Nitzschke.

The German government stopped short of identifying them, but confirmed it had received a video showing the hostages.

Looking distraught and exhausted, Braeunlich and Nitzschke were shown in front of a black banner with white Arabic writing on it.

One of the men, thought to be Nitzschke, could be heard saying in German: “We have been here for more than 60 days. We are at the end of our nerves. Please help us. We cannot bear this any longer. Please help us.”

The video has a March 28 date stamp on it and is believed to be the fourth video message showing the Germans.

Al Jazeera television also aired a brief portion of the tape, showing the two bearded men standing in front of a black banner bearing the name of the Ansar al-Tawhid Wa-Sunna group.

Hat Tip Orgish : Hosting the video here.

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Last word on Jill Carroll kidnapping. Jeff Jacoby:

To some people hearing this, it was plain that Carroll could only have been speaking under duress. "Jill Carroll forced to make propaganda video as price of freedom," the Monitor headlined its story the next day. Anyone tempted to accuse Carroll of some other motive, cautioned Ellen Knickmeyer of The Washington Post, "should think about what they would do (after) three months with machine guns held to their heads."

In it Jill Carroll seems more than eager to give the 'correct' answers asked by her captors. It's quite sickening some of the answers she gives, but understandable under the circumstances. But, before you accuse Jill of being a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, keep in mind that she was under duress....

Very scripted, very much what you would expect the terrorists wanted to hear.

What would you say to your captors after months as a prisoner? You'd tell them exactly what they want to hear. Remember, the only video we have of Jill Carroll are two segments taped while she was still a prisoner--under a considerable amount of duress. The second video we have is one taped in the offices of The Islamic Party of Iraq--the political front for the same terrorists who had victimized her!

"During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. So I agreed," she said in a statement read by her editor in Boston.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."... ...In the statement, Carroll also disavowed an interview she gave to the party shortly after her release. She said the party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word."... ..."At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear, I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times," she said. "Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One — that I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military, and two — that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither statement is true."

Jim Geraghty also chimes in against both the Right and Left, but since we've already discussed the Right's reaction:

There was much ugliness on the right, but there was plenty of the same nastiness to go around on the left. Shortly after her initial remarks, John Podhoretz predicted on National Review Online's group blog The Corner that there would be a lot of talk about Stockholm Syndrome. Shortly thereafter, a contributor to the liberal blog ThinkProgress demanded an apology (presumptuously speaking for Carroll) and other commenters on that site wished for Podhoretz to get kidnapped himself, labeling him a "Reichwingnut" and so on.

No matter how much you may disagree with a network anchor, reporter or columnist, it's unheard of for a professional writer to say in published work, "I hope that guy gets kidnapped." Even on his worst day, it's unimaginable that Rather (or Bob Schieffer, or any new anchor) would label, on-air an opponent a "Reichwingnut." (Okay, maybe Bryant Gumbel. But when he called Robert Knight "a ****ing idiot," he at least thought he was off the air. ) Nor is any columnist likely to speculate in print that abducted prisoners are in cahoots with their captors, at least without evidence....

The Pajamahadeen have gone from fact-checking Dan Rather to speculating that Jill Carroll faked her tears on her hostage tape. This is not progress.

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