Thursday, July 22, 2004

Truck drivers' heads on the line

And what I keep wondering is how and why these truck drivers are left so vulnerable to attack. All of these recent cases have been truck drivers.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Kuwaiti transport company that employs seven foreign drivers seized by guerrillas in Iraq say it will do all it can to win their release and prevent the kidnappers carrying out a threat to kill them.

"Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company will take all appropriate measures to secure the release of the drivers who were detained in Iraq yesterday," a company statement said on Thursday.

Video footage given to news organisations showed the seven men, looking tired and afraid, stating their name and nationality to the camera. Their captors say they will behead them one by one unless their employer pulls out of Iraq.

...On Monday, another Egyptian hostage was freed after his Saudi employer pledged to stop doing business in Iraq.

On Tuesday, Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz was freed after Manila bowed to the demands of his captors and withdrew its small military contingent from Iraq a month early.

...Washington insists its coalition remains strong despite the Philippines' decision to follow Spain, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras in pulling out of the country.

But two more members of the coalition came under fresh pressure on Wednesday, with an Internet statement from a group claiming to be the European wing of al Qaeda threatening Poland and Bulgaria with attack unless they withdrew from Iraq.

On Tuesday, an Internet statement claiming to be from a group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said Japan would face bloodshed unless it followed the example of the Philippines and pulled out its 550 non-combat troops.

But another statement later in the day, also claiming to be from Zarqawi's group, disowned the threat.
Reuters article

I guess other militant groups are going to cash in on the infamy the U.S. has brought to the name Zarqawi. He's become the single bullet in the Warren Commission report.

These guys arranged the photo rather differently...hostages in back.


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