(UPDATED) American Among Those Kidnapped With Peace Activists in Iraq

UPDATE 11/29 A.M.: Christian Peacemakers has confirmed to The Jawa Report that the hostages were indeed taken from their organization. However, at this time, Christian Peacemakers has declined to release the names of the one American and two Canadian hostages.

Related: German woman taken hostage in Iraq, hostage video released.

Developing.........

UPDATED: Scroll down for updates. "Humanitarian" group named in MSM actually a peace activist group there to monitor U.S. and Iraqi 'abuses'. This story is becoming more and more like the Giuliana Sgrena drama as facts are slowly uncovered.

The so-called aid workers were actually part of a peace organization which focuses on alleged U.S. abuses. Which is the one political party that this 'peace' organization decides to meet in Baghdad? The Iraqi Communist Party.

Scroll down for more specifics and updates
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An American was among the Westerners kidnapped in Iraq over the weekend as reported earlier here and here. The U.S. State Department continues its insane policy of not releasing the name of the kidnapped victim. We will report his name and the name of the two Canadians as soon as we get word.

More information about Norman Kember is below.

Tribune-Democrat:

An American citizen is missing in Iraq, the U.S. Embassy said Monday, apparently one of four humanitarian workers reported kidnapped a day earlier.

As reported earlier by Bluto, by "humanitarian workers" the article means "peace activists." This is earily remindful of Giuliana Sgrena, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta all of whom were taken hostage and then later relesed because of their pro-terrorist views.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Colton said only that an American had been reported missing. The person's name was not immediately released. Dan McTeague, parliamentary secretary for Canadians abroad, also refused identify the Canadians, their organization or the location where they were kidnapped to protect their safety.

Here is some more information in addition to what Bluto recorded here about Norman Kember, the only hostage who has been positively identified.

Norman Kember was an officer in the Baptist Peace Fellowship which proclaims:

The FELLOWSHIP was founded as a fellowship of Baptist ministers with pacifist convictions; later it was expanded to include all Baptist Pacifists, and in 1940 became affiliated to the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR).

WE AIM to provide a fellowship for Baptists who feel constrained by their Christian faith to renounce war and to stir the minds and consciences of our fellow Baptists so that they may come to see that military force cannot be reconciled with the teaching of Jesus Christ and His acceptance of the Cross; to work at all times for reconciliation, justice and the things that make for peace in national, community, church and personal life.

WE BELIEVE that we will be led to witness in ways appropriate to the conditions in which we find ourselves. Like the early Christians we endeavour to talk to those whom we meet about the good news of the gospel of the Prince of Peace.

So, on the one hand he's a peacenick, but on the other hand we have this letter from him in which he talks of joining an evangelical peace group willing to give up their lives testifying of Christ. Such evangelizing is forbidden in even the moderate forms of Islam--the penalty is death. He quotes the movement which he seems to be about to join thus

We must prepare to die by the thousands

So, he was a radical fundamentalist Christian, prepared to be killed for his beliefs. Unfortunately, he may find himself a martyr before long.

As always, The Jawa Report will be following this hostage story carefully. Please e-mail tips to mypetjawa-at-gmail-dot-com.

UPDATE: Here is a picture of Norman Kember at a Hiroshima vigil. He is the on the right.

In response to Rhonda's comments that Kember would never try and evangelize a Muslim, I offer this, penned by Norman Kember himself:

Peace people may spend rather a lot of time talking to the 'converted'. We work and pray for new conversions!

Of course, he was talking about 'conversions' to peace--which makes one wonder exactly what the Christian peace movement's agenda is? Is it to convert people to Christ--a sign of which is pacificism? Or is it to convert people to pacifism--in which case Christ is, well, exactly what?

My reading of Kember's public statements is that he is a committed Christian pacifist in the Mennonite. Jehovah's Witness or Quaker sense. As such he is a perfect example of Christian fundamentalism vs. Islamic fundamentalism. Christian fundamentalists take Jesus' 'turn the other cheek' and Paul's exhortation to Roman soldiers to 'do no violence' very seriously and, indeed, are willing to die for their beliefs but never kill for them (in the Catholic tradition, Augustine is a good example).

Muslim fundamentalists, on the other hand, follow the example and teachings of Muhammed perfectly when they kill.

Hence 'religious fundamentalism' is not really that big of a problem when the religion is fundamentally pacifist. The Dali Lama is another good example of a person taking his religion seriously, yet posing no threat of violence.

UPDATE II: WRAL:

The four were believed to be affiliated with Christian Peacemakers, one of the few Western humanitarian organizations still operating in Iraq. The organization's Web site states that among other things, the group seeks to expose and document abuses of Iraqis by U.S. and coalition forces.

In addition to their involvement in Iraq, Christian Peacemakers sends activists to Arizona to protest U.S. border policy.

Kenberer and the other hostages would have been part of this group, scheduled to be in Iraq from Nov. 17th to Dec. 1st:

As Iraq continues to suffer under unstable and difficult conditions, delegates will meet with representatives of nongovernmental organizations, fledgling Iraqi civil society groups, the US military, and others, to assess the current situation. They will may visit hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches, and will talk with Iraqis whose loved ones have been detained by US forces or under the previous regime. Based primarily in Baghdad, the delegation may travel to outlying areas.

COST: US $3000 US, which includes round-trip airfare.

If you don't recall, Giuliana Sgrena was interviewing refugees from Fallujah about U.S. 'attrocities' in that city when she was first abducted. This group must have had dealings with Sgrena in the past as they also have been active in the campaign to portray the U.S. clearing of murderous clerics from Fallujah (more here, here, here, and here) in the worst light.

Here is the scenario as it might have happened. A group of peace activists (dubbed 'aid workers' by MSM) go to Iraq trying to prove that the U.S. are the bad guys in Iraq. They then go and talk with the 'resistance' who they believe are the good guys. They are shocked when some terrorists show up at meeting with 'resistance' and kidnap them.

Possibly outcome? a) Sgrena scenario--terrorists release infidels after they have been paid off and realize hostages are really allies b) Enzo Baldoni scenario--terrorists don't care that hostages there to help, behead the infidels c) rescued by U.S. forces

Another Update: Ekklesia:

Kidnappee Professor Norman Kember, aged 74, is a long-time advocate of nonviolence. He has been involved both in the Baptist Peace Fellowship and in Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR), an international network of religious pacifists.

An opponent of war and occupation in Iraq, Professor Kember had decided to join a two-week visit to the insurgency-torn country.

He had been telling friends, and wrote in a recent FoR newsletter, that he could not remain a spectator any longer. He understood the risks involved, he said.

The team he was working in was established by Mennonites and other historic peace churches in North America. It works to build trust and cooperation among conflicting groups, and works through the invitation and agency of local peace, social justice and human rights workers.

Local security forces and a multinational hostage team are currently searching for all four humanitarian workers.

Speaking on Channel 4 News (UK) this evening, Bruce Kent – a high profile peace campaigner, former Catholic priest, and close friend of Norman Kember – said that he was a strong and resourceful person.

It is uncertain whether the professor has been captured by a group with a political motive, or by one of the hundreds of criminal gangs seeking to make money out of hostage taking in a lawless environment.

Asked whether it was foolish to venture into Iraq under such volatile conditions, Mr Kent said that Professor KemberÂ’s Christian faith and peacemaking convictions were such that he was prepared to take risks which other might regard as unwise.

A spokesperson for the Baptist Peace fellowship said that he was a man who lived out his beliefs with courage and compassion.

Notice that the man's kidnapping is blamed on 'volatile conditions'--a stealth way of blaming the U.S. for destabilizing the country. I'd like to see Kember try the same type of activism directed toward the ruling regime under Saddam Hussein. Why not blame the peace group for its naivite for meeting with anti-Coalition forces?

Yet Another Update: This time from the Independent:

His group, who were investigating human rights abuses, had reportedly been travelling with "minimal security" when they were seized in the west of the city after dark on Saturday.

The men were in the final days of a two-week fact-finding trip with a Canada-based humanitarian organisation, Christian Peacemaker Teams (PCT). The group, which was working with Iraqi groups and was not involved in missionary work, had been due to return on Friday.

How does a 'Christian' group not engage in missionary activity? Very odd, indeed. More

The Rev Alan Betteridge, president of the UK Baptist Peace Fellowship, who has known Mr Kember for more than 40 years, said: "Norman is a very committed worker for non-violence and peacemaking. He is a very gentle man, quiet, with a good sense of humour.

"He does not try to force his views on people - a listener rather than a talker and very committed to what he believes. I hope he has the opportunity to tell his captors about his work."

CPT, a pacifist group based in Toronto which cites the removal of coalition forces from Iraq as one of its aims, declined to comment on the abductions.

This despite the fact that a previous delegation had learned that the Iraqis don't want the U.S. to leave right away. From a report filed by a CPT group just back from Iraq. Notice the double-talk:

Virtually all Iraqi's we talked to would like for US troops to leave. now. Most that we talked with said that they know immediate with drawl is impractical in that they believe a civil war will result if the troops leave now. Few had a real passion about the US troops leaving right now [italics mine].

More from the Independent:

Mr Kember was part of a delegation of around eight people who had gone to Iraq to meet local human rights campaigners and assist with the setting up of a Muslim peacemakers' organisation. The organisation had sent four previous civilian delegations to Iraq.

Others: Chad at ITB, Unpartisan, Gung Ho, Dissonance and Disrespect, Politechnical

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It Ain't Gonna Work This Time Either, Fellas

2 Canadians, 1 American, and 1 Brit taken hostage:

Nov 27, 2005 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Four Western aid workers, two believed to be from Canada, one from Britain and one from the United States, have been kidnapped in Iraq, the organization they were working for said on Sunday.

The only hostage identified positively is the Briton:

It is understood Professor Norman Kember was snatched in Baghdad along with two Canadians and an American. The Foreign Office is investigating.

Professor Kember, from north-west London, was said to be representing a number of humanitarian aid groups.

His wife Pat, at home in Pinner, said: "People are being very, very good to me and I'm being supported."

I'm sure we'll update this as the others are named. In any case, we wish their families the very best and pray for their safe return.

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Viva La Revolucion?

The Jawa Report takes pride in bringing to the forefront the plight of hostages in Iraq.

Not all of our citizens are being held hostage in Iraq.

The next time you see a Che t-shirt, think of Walter van der Veer.

A Google search reveals Cuba government propaganda, Linda's post, and not much else.

From the Cuban site:

Havana, November 27(RHC)-- A court in Havana sentenced
late Wednesday US citizen Walter Van Der Veer to 15 years
in prison, on charges of promoting an armed action
against Cuba. Havana's district attorney's office had
requested 20 years. The text of the sentence says that
Van Der Veer is a declared enemy of Cuba's socialist state
who attempted to promote subversive armed actions in the
westerly Pinar Del Rio Province. For this purpose,
continues the text, Van Der Veer clandestinely introduced
military uniforms and other equipment, and was also
planning to launch attacks against tourists in Cuba.

Arrested in August of last year, Cuban authorities also
discovered in his possession anti-Cuba propaganda and ink
pads to print out pamphlets signed by the Cuban
Liberation Front, a Cuban-American terrorist organization
based in Miami. According to his defense attorney, Van
Der Veer admitted to having spread anti-Castro propaganda
in Havana and that he belonged to 2 Cuban exile
organizations in Miami that promote the violent overthrow
of the Cuban government. And according to testimony by a
Cuban accomplice, Van Der Veer expressed interest in
obtaining weapons on the island.

May God bless Walter van der Veer and his family.

Of course, Walter just has to be the violent fellow portrayed by Castro, because, as we all know, American citizens are just flocking to Cuba to try and procure arms to overthrow that government.

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Al Qaeda in Iraq Will Murder Moroccan Hostages

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq has announced that it will murder two Moroccan embassy workers it kidnapped on October 20th. The two have been identified as a driver, Abderrahim Boualam, and a diplomatic employee, Abdelkrim el-Mouhafidi.

As in past cases where Islamist groups announce that hostages will be murdered, the terrorist justify it on grounds that the hostages are criminals who have violated Islamic law. Before murdering them, a 'trial' is held. AKI:

Following the interrogation of our prisoners, the employees of the Moroccan embassy, we have decided to send their case to the Sharia Committee where they will be able to make a judgement on these kinds of people

Of course, the outcome of the 'trial' was inevetable. The two were found guilty, like so many murdered hostages before them, of 'apostasy'. Apostasy is punishable by death under Islamic law. Salon:

The group said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web forum that its "Islamic court" had judged the two men as "apostates" who were waging a "war on Islam."

"Based on this, the court decided to issue God's verdict upon the apostates and sentenced them to death," it said...

"It has become clear to these governments that they are now in the front line against the mujahedeen in the land of Mesopotamia and that their envoys -- from ambassadors on down -- have become legitimate targets for (the mujahideen's) swords," the new al-Qaida statement said.

The two Moroccans "compounded their disbelief in God and their war on Islam by supporting the government of the Shiite apostates in Baghdad," it said. "May they be a new lesson ... to those who might follow them, those who dare challenge the mujahideen and set foot in the proud land of Mesopotamia."

Al Qaeda in Iraq and the Army of Ansar al Sunnah are the two main groups deemed by the mainstream media as 'insurgents' and called by anti-war activists 'freedom fighters'. Both groups routinely murder civilian hostages.

We will post images and video as soon as they become available.

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Rory Carroll released tells story.

Mike Pechar reported Wednesday that Rory Carroll a reporter for the UK guardian had been kidnapped in Baghdad. Rory was held 36 hours before his release was secured. Today Roy tells his story.

CNN:I was also afraid that I would be handed over to another gang which would have bought me from the original gang. This other gang could turn out to be an insurgent group who in the past had beheaded Western hostages for propaganda purposes. That was my main concern.

Oh you bet. Glad to hear Rory is safe.

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British Journalist Rory Carroll Kidnapped in Iraq

The UK Guardian is reporting that its Baghdad correspondent, Rory Carroll, 33, is missing and it's believed he was kidnapped by a group of armed men. Carroll, an Irish citizen, is one of the more experienced journalists for the Guardian and he has been based in Iraq for the last nine months.

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Remembering the Forgotten American Hostages: Jeffrey Ake

Jeffrey Ake was in Iraq to help the people of that country secure a safe water supply when, on April 11th of this year, he was taken hostage. Days later a video emerged of Ake. Jeffrey Ake has not been heard from since.

Former hostage Terry Anderson later recounted that realizing that the world was indifferent to the fate of Western hostages was nearly as bad as the torment administered on them daily.

We will not forget the fate of the hostages still held in Iraq. We urge you to keep them in your prayers.

Here is a little about Jeffrey Ake from the Indy Star:

The lack of attention on Jeffrey Ake baffles people here.

On April 11, when Ake was seized by gunmen outside Baghdad, the well-known and longtime LaPorte resident was national news. He was in Iraq doing business as the country rebuilds, helping to build a water bottling plant...

The townsfolk sprang to action the way people do in such a crisis: They tied ribbons around trees in their yards, they spelled out "Pray for Jeff Ake" on the signs at their businesses, they expressed fear and hope to the media that swarmed them, and they organized a candlelight vigil.
And then, suddenly, Ake was not news. The candlelight vigil was canceled. Ake's neighbors suddenly went silent.

Today, with the six-month anniversary of his disappearance coming Tuesday, Ake's whereabouts remain unknown. The equally nagging question beyond what happened to him is why folks in LaPorte are mum about it.
As it turns out, they're just trying to help.

"His wife asked us to have no comment, so that's what we're doing," said Mel Turner, who lives next door to the Ake family.

Liliana Ake asked everyone to keep quiet because the FBI, the agency investigating Ake's disappearance, recommended it.

Of course, the FBI's recommendation is inappropriate in Ake's case. If Ake is to be freed, it will not be because a ransom will be paid. So, why should it matter what his hostage takers ask?

Ake's only hope is that Coalition forces are tipped to his whereabouts and is freed, as Roy Hallums recently was. After six-months it should be clear that silence is not a winning strategy. Keeping Jeffrey Ake's name in the forefront of the news so that forces on the ground will keep an eye out for him, and so that local Iraqis know who they are looking for.

In the meantime, we pray for his speedy release.

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Army of Ansar al-Sunnah Murder Hostages by Beheading, Video Released (Images)

The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah, a well-known terrorist organization in Iraq with ties to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda forces, has released a video in which two hostages are beheaded. The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video. Gruesome images from the video are posted below (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW).

The two innocent civilians are identified as Shaker Mahmoud Jassim and Riyadh Najim Abdullah. The timestamp on the video indicates it was made on September 12th of this year, but the video was not uploaded to the internet until today.

As in all such videos, the terrorists first force the victims to 'confess' to various crimes before they are murdered. Pronouncement of guilt is made on the victims under Islamic law. Thus, the murder and torture done by the terrorists is legitimized in the eyes of radicals as the legal execution of criminals for crimes against Islam. The beheading is done with a knife, is slow, and very painful.

Jassim is forced in the video to 'confess' that he works for the U.S. Army as an informant. As in all jihadi videos, American forces are portrayed as tools of a wider Jewish conspiracy.

The AP reports that Jassim urges in his 'confession':

I call on everyone who works with the Jews and the Americans to repent to God and leave this job.

In all previous hostage murder videos, similar statements are made. The second victim, Abdullah, said he helped the Americans with information about a group of Saudi insurgents and was paid a large amount of money:

"We have become slaves to money," he said before he was taken outside and decapitated.

SITE reports that the video also warns:

That those who do not “come back to your religion and repent” will also be slaughtered.

As Abdullah's head is placed on his back, the camera panned to a sign that read in Arabic: "Go to hell, this is a revenge for our brothers".

The Army of Ansar al-Sunna is an offshoot of The Army of Ansar al-Islam, a Salafist terror organization with roots in Kurdish Iraq. After the fall of the Hussein Regime, the former leader of Ansar al-Islam, Musab al-Zarqawi, took foreign elements to found Tawhid and Jihad--later pledging loyalty to Osama bin Laden and changing the name, once again, to al Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers (Mesopotamia, or Iraq). Ansar al-Sunnah and al Qaeda are believed to operate seperately now, but occasionally announce collaboration with one another.

This is the first beheading video in many months. These types of videos are propaganda meant for domestic purposes. The reason the terrorists in Iraq stopped producing beheading murder videos, and instead turning to videos of IED and other attacks on U.S. forces, is because they believed that they were doing more harm than good. Such videos tend to turn off the great mass of the Iraqi people, and especially Sunni Muslims on whom the terrorists depend for support and anonymity.

This video can only mean one thing: the terrorists have run into a wall in Iraq, they feel they must resort to threatening the population once again. The terrorists are slowly but surely losing.

Graphic images from the video below:

WARNING: PROCEED AT OWN RISK.

Why show these images? This is the true face of the so-called insurgents in Iraq. They are nothing more than terrorists scum who have a vision for Iraq similar to that of the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are waging jihad not only against Americans, but against Iraqis. Most media outlets will not show you what the terrorists are actually doing in Iraq. We will. more...

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Former Hostage Planned to Stick a Shiv in Captors

Here's a former hostage I'd like to meet. Micah Geren is right up there with former hostage Ulf Hjertstrom, who hired bounty hunters to go after the terrorist scumbags who held him before he escaped.

Daily News:

Armed with a shiv he made by tying together three sharp palm fronds, Micah Garen, the Manhattan documentary filmmaker kidnapped in southern Iraq last year, vowed to fight his way to freedom if his captors tried to behead him, he said yesterday....

The most nerve-racking moment of Garen's captivity was when he found out he was being led away to make a video.

"Were they planning to kill me on video?" he asked himself, all too aware of the gruesome deaths of fellow Americans Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl at the hands of their kidnappers.

"As my blindfold came off, the world came into focus," he writes in the book. "I looked around at the men's hands and at their waistbands, to see if anyone had a large knife, a sign to me that I was about to be beheaded.

"I didn't see one, but they would probably hide it. I moved my left hand down next to my pocket with the shiv, studying the room for opportunity."

When a man with bare feet knelt down behind Garen, he formed a plan in his mind.

"If something happened, if someone pulled out a knife, I would stab his foot with my shiv, and in the commotion go after a gun," Garen wrote.

You can buy Garen's book, American Hostage, here.

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Remembering the Forgotten American Hostages: Dean Sadek

Over the weekend, al Qaeda made a bogus claim that it was holding two Marines hostage in Iraq, and later that the two had been executed. While such fictional claims are nothing new from al Qaeda, it serves as a reminder that several American civilians reamain in captivity.

We've been getting a number of hits about Dean Sadek today (thanks to Tim at Opinion Bug for the tip). Hopefully there is some impending good news that has not yet hit the MSM yet.

Mohammad Radeen Sadeq (better known by his Americanized name 'Dean Sadek') was working at the Baghdad airport as a civillian contractor when he was abducted from his home. It's not clear the exact date he was abducted, but al Jazeera showed a videotape released by the terrorist 1920 Brigades organization showing Sadek on Nov. 11th.

Dean Sadek was born in Lebanon but was a naturalized U.S. citizen who lived in the Charlotte, N.C. area. Dean Sadek's ex-sister-in-law left this comment saying Dean:

is a kind, giving individual who loves his two sons dearly. I'm hoping by he being of Lebanese descent that it would be in his favor. ...Why is he there? He is there to help the good people... If he loses his life he would be one more of the heroes to win freedom for others. I am totally devasted everyday not knowing what will happen to him besides his immediate family and children. My prayers are with him and the others daily fighting for freedom of others.

Our prayers are with Dean Sadek and his family too.

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Alcohol Vendor Taken Hostage in Iraq Seen in Video, Company Caves to Demands

A video has emerged of the Lebanese-Cypriot employee of an alcohol distribution company taken hostage in Iraq nearly three weeks ago. Images from the video are posted below. The video may be downloaded here (see Sept. 12, first link).

The man, Garabet Jean Jekerjian, can be seen in the video wearing a Corona shirt and shorts and pleads for his company, Geto Trading Ltd. which operates out of Cyprus, to leave Iraq.

The company announced today that it was caving to the terrorists' demands and is ceasing all operations in Iraq.

The terror organization, calling itself The Group for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had released a video Sunday threatening to kill Jekerjian unless Geto pulled out. Scores of people have been murdered in Iraq by vigilante groups, both Shia and Sunni, attempting to enforce Islamic Law.

I apologize for letting this one slip under the radar screen. A description of the video and images from it follow. more...

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Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher Still Alive?

This CNN article implies that the Navy still believes Speicher is alive after 14 years. That would be a miracle indeed. But isn't it more logical to conclude, after all this time, that if any former Hussein regime officials 'know of his location' that they are now talking about the location of his body? I pray that he is still alive, but it would be shocking to find out that he still was. more...

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American Hostage Freed, Family Reacts

Hostage Roy Hallums has been freed in Iraq. Members of his family have now confirmed this to me personally. They are elated. Family members are en route to a reunion with Roy as we speak. Thank you for your prayers and thanks to the Coalition Forces for rescuing Roy.

More details here.

Below is a reposting. Updates will be put in original post. Please link to original post. more...

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American Hostage Roy Hallums Rescued in Iraq! (UPDATED)

UPDATE: This post to be updated throughout the day.

Update 13:19: Members of his extended family have now confirmed to me, personally, that Roy has been freed. They are elated. Family members are en route to a reunion with Roy as we speak. Thank you for your prayers and thanks to the Coalition Forces for rescuing Roy.

Many of Roy's family and friends, though, know only as much as they are being told in the media. If you have any tips about information that we are not covering, please e-mail me at mypetjawat-at-gmail-dot-com (remove 'at' and 'dot' and replace).

----
Roy Hallums was abducted on Nov. 1st along with several other foreign contractors. The U.S. state department refused to comment on whether there was an American hostage in Iraq. On Nov. 30th, The Jawa Report reported that an American hostage was being held in Iraq. On Dec. 2nd, Roy's daughter Carrie and his ex-wife Susan contacted The Jawa Report confirming that Roy was taken hostage in Iraq and clarifying his name.

Since that time we have run dozens of stories on Roy and the other forgotten hostages in Iraq. We have also tried to raise funds for the Free Roy Foundation. I have personally been in contact with the Hallums family since our initial story ran. In the last few months I have feared that Roy was dead, but every so often I would get an e-mail from Susan reminding me to keep Roy in my prayers. Her faith, and the faith of Roy's daughters and grandchildren, never waivered.

I have not heard from Susan or Carrie yet, but I expect some word in the near future. While I am not an official spokesperson for the Hallums family, I am sure that Susan and Carrie would express their many thanks for your prayers and support throughout these trying months.

Thank you Jawa Report readers and friends. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

--Rusty Shackleford

-----------------------

Cnn: Is reporting that Roy Hallums has been rescued. Details later. This really is good news.

Developing.

Roy Hallums, the U.S. contractor who was kidnapped in November, is rescued in Iraq, ex-wife says. Details soon.

Hat Tip: Filthy.

Also here on FOXNEWS

"I can confirm he's been released," Susan Hallums, 53, told The Associated Press by telephone. "Considering what he's been through, I understand he's in good condition."

UPDATE from Rusty: Today is one of the happiest days of my life. I'm literally crying.

Update 11:56: NYTimes, hat tip Lawhawk. It looks like Roy was freed thanks to a tip from a detainee. Guantanamo? Probably not, but Abu Ghraib is a distinct possibility:

Coalition forces acting on a tip from an Iraqi detainee Wednesday rescued American hostage Roy Hallums from an isolated farm house south of Baghdad, a military statement said. An Iraqi also was rescued....

Hallums was held in a farmhouse 15 miles south of Baghdad, the statement said, adding that rescuers were tipped to his whereabouts by an unidentified Iraqi detainee.

''I want to thank all of those who were involved in my rescue -- to those who continuously tracked my captors and location, and to those who physically brought me freedom today,'' Hallums said in the military statement.

''To all of you, I will be forever grateful. Both of us are in good health and look forward to returning to our respective families. Thank you to all who kept me and my family in their thoughts and prayers.''

This contradicts earlier reports that Roy Hallums was being held near Fallujah, but makes much more sense.

Related:
-The Free Roy Website, run by Roy's daughter Carrie
-Jawa Report Breaks Roy Hallums Story, Hallums family begins correspondence
-Terrorist release Roy Hallums hostage video.
-The Damned of the West Part I: Interview with the family of Roy Hallums
-The Damned of the West Part II: Interview with the family of Roy Hallums
-The Damned of the West Part III: Interview with the family of Roy Hallums

UPDATE II: More from CNN. more...

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Terrorists Murder 15 Civilians in Iraq

Al Jazeera has enough chutzpah to call the men who executed 15 civilians 'fighters'. Unfortunately I don't have enough chutzpah to call al Jazeera a news organization. Instead, I'll settle for propaganda arm of murdering terrorists.

Cindy Sheehan's freedom fighters at it again.......

Al Jazeera:

Fighters have executed 15 Iraqis after ambushing their vehicle on a road north of the city of Falluja, police said.

The armed men ordered the passengers out of the vehicle and lined them up before shooting them in daylight on Sunday afternoon, police on Monday quoted witnesses as saying.

They did not specify whether the victims were civilians or off-duty security personnel but said they were believed to be from the neighbouring town of Saqlawiyah, in the Sunni Triangle.

Pools of blood covered the scene of the attack on the desert road, next to empty cases of pistol and AK-47 machine gun bullets, suggesting that the victims were shot from close range, an AFP correspondent reported.

The road was blocked for nearly 10 hours until tribesmen from the neighbouring Sunni town of Ramadi removed the bodies, police added.

No jihadi group has yet claimed the murders.

Linked at OTB

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Italians Treating Wounded Terrorists

It's not that I'm against doctors treating wounded terrorists--not to do so would be a violation of their oath--it's just that after you treat the wounded terrorist you're supposed to turn them in. You will recall our extensive coverage on the two Italians who worked for A Bridge to Baghdad held hostage in Iraq. At least three groups had claimed to have been involved in the kidnapping of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, one of which had threatened to behead the pair.

AP

Italy's Red Cross treated four Iraqi insurgents and hid them from U.S. forces in exchange for the freedom of two Italian aid workers kidnapped last year in Baghdad, an official said in an interview published Thursday.

Maurizio Scelli, the outgoing chief of the Italian Red Cross, told La Stampa newspaper that he kept the deal secret from U.S. officials, complying with "a nonnegotiable condition" imposed by Iraqi mediators who helped him secure the release of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, who were abducted on Sept. 7 and freed Sept. 28.

"The mediators asked us to save the lives of four alleged terrorists wanted by the Americans who were wounded in combat," Scelli was quoted as saying. "We hid them and brought them to Red Cross doctors, who operated on them."

They took the wounded insurgents to a Baghdad hospital in a jeep and in an ambulance, smuggling them through two U.S. checkpoints by hiding them under blankets and boxes of medicine, Scelli reportedly said.

Via Captain Ed who notes rightly that Berlusconi owes the United States an apology and the Italian Red Cross should immediately get decertified in Iraq. Indeed.

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Palestinian Kidnappers Free French Journalist

(Gaza City) Here's a followup to previous reports (here and here) regarding the kidnapping of French television journalist Muhammed Ouathi.

From the Khaleej Times:

A French television journalist abducted by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza a week ago was freed unharmed on Monday, witnesses said.

The kidnapping of Mohammad Ouathi, a soundman for France 3 television, was the longest in a series of abductions of foreign journalists and aid workers in Gaza. No group claimed responsibility. Ouathi is a Frenchman of Algerian origin.

His release was announced by the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an umbrella group of Palestinian militants that said it helped mediate an end to the abduction.

No details concerning Ouathi's release were disclosed. My guess would be that a ransom was paid.

Interestingly, the PRC, which is dominated by Fatah gunmen, claimed it helped free Ouathi. It's believed by others that the PRC was directly responsible for the kidnapping.

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11 Pakistani Hostages Freed in Iraq

As hostage taking becomes more and more unpopular as a propaganda tool, news of hostages being released in Iraq becomes more frequent. I hadn't heard that these Pakistanis had been taken hostage last week, but I am glad to hear that they have been freed. Other news reports indicate that the three Egyptians and two Indians, kidnapped with the Pakistanis, have also been freed. more...

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Taliban Release Hostage

The Taliban are alive, well, and in the business of taking hostages. They freed the Lebanese hostage when his company agreed to leave Afghanistan, thus pulling needed capital from an already impoverished nation. more...

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Canadian Hostage Murdured in Iraq

A 32-year-old Iraqi-Canadian citizen, Zaid Meerwali, kidnapped earlier this month and held for ransom has been murdured. MJ Pechar has the story here. Prime Minister Paul Martin has advised that all Canadian citizens should leave Iraq immediately. There is no Canadian embassy in Iraq.

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