Check homepage for more information on recent hostage takings in Iraq.

UPDATE 4/13/05: Jeffrey Ake taken hostage 4/10/05 in Baghdad. Al Jazeera airs video on 4/13/05. Ake was a civilian contractor working on a reconstruction project in Iraq. More information here.

Roy Hallum, civillian contractor, taken hostage on Nov. 1st. Nothing in MSM about his capture or whereabouts. A friend of his left a comment today and reports that the correct spelling of his name was not 'Hallun' as had been reporter in the Filipino media, but is "Roy A. Hallums". The last 'Butch' heard from Roy he was in Amman Jordan working for the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company (SATCO). In an e-mail sent to Butch last July, Roy mentioned he might be headed to Iraq soon. Any news about Roy would be welcomed by his friends and family. Neither the Pentagon nor SATCO has been forthcoming with information. Roy was kidnapped with several Iraqis, a Nepalese, and a Fillipino man all of whom have been released. The Phillipine government now confirms negotiating with the terrorists for Robert Tarongoy's freedom, something the Pentagon had warned would could be dangerous to the welfare of other hostages being held in Iraq..

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. More on Dean Sadek's biography can be found in this story. 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.

Spc. Matt "Keith" Maupin, missing since April 9th when his convoy was attacked outside of Baghdad. Reportedly executed on video but the original video was never made publicly available and the al Jazeera footage shown was unclear. A recent interview with his family suggests Maupin may be alive--whereabouts unknown.

Tim Bell and Bill Bradley were truck drivers for Halliburton. They disappeared after their convoy was attacked west of Baghdad on April 9th. According to this Houston Chronicle article:

The Army has conducted an investigation into the ambush, but the report is classified. Pentagon officials refused to discuss its contents, directing questions to Halliburton. The company referred questions back to the Pentagon.

"We have done everything in our power to find information and found that we are hitting a brick wall," Bradley's family wrote in an e-mail to the Houston Chronicle.

"We are crushed."

Posted by: Rusty at 10:05 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 572 words, total size 4 kb.