Bulgaria firm over hostage threat

BBC ^ | Friday, 9 July, 2004

[Grzegorz 246]

Bulgaria has vowed it will not change its policies on Iraq after two of its nationals were taken hostage by militants and threatened with death. An Islamic militant group says it will kill the men if Iraqi prisoners are not freed in 24 hours, al-Jazeera TV said.

A Filipino was taken hostage earlier and threatened with death unless his country pulls troops out in 72 hours.

Meanwhile a Lebanese-born US marine allegedly kidnapped in Iraq resurfaced in Beirut, US officials confirmed.

A video tape aired on al-Jazeera showed two men with their hands tied, flanked by three gunmen. Bulgaria has identified the two hostages as civilian truck drivers.

Al-Jazeera said the video tape came from the al-Tawhid and Jihad Group, believed to be headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been accused by the US of links to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

The group is believed to have carried out the beheadings of two hostages in Iraq - American Nick Berg and South Korean Kim Sun-il.

HOSTAGES KILLED 14 April: Fabrizio Quattrocchi, 36, Italian security guard is shot dead 11 May: Nick Berg, 26, US businessman is beheaded 22 June: Kim Sun-il, 33, South Korean translator is beheaded 29 June: Keith Maupin, 20, US soldier is reportedly killed (not confirmed)

[stuartcr]

I don't think any country is going to back down just because one or two of their citizens, in Iraq, is threatened.

[Grzegorz 246]

I agree.

Look at this:

"An Islamic militant group says it will kill the men if Iraqi prisoners are not freed in 24 hours, al-Jazeera TV said."

They can't do it even if they wanted to.

[stuartcr]

Right, they are just ignorant, murderous thugs. Sometimes I wonder if some of these guys are even affiliated with a group as sophisticated as the one that arranged the attack on our country, or if they are just some local groups, that don't want us in their country.

[Grzegorz 246]

I think that Some of them just don't want foreign troops in Iraq - like Al Sadr militiants, some of them are former Saddam supporters or relatives - like those in Faluja region, some of them are just criminals - Saddam let all criminals free at the beginning of the war, some of theme are Al Kaida members or other fanatics and these are the most danger.

[stuartcr]

Just goes to show how hard it is to fight a bunch of well-armed, fanatics that are fighting for a variety of reasons. It's one thing to fight an organised, central-commanded army......but something completely different when fighting people that don't want you in their country, see you as a threat to their way of life, have a history of warring behavior, and have little or nothing to lose.

[tarator]

I don't think any country is going to back down just because one or two of their citizens, in Iraq, is threatened.

In this case the bar was set so high, that it would be impossible to achieve. However, some of the previous abductions did achieve success. A Russian oil company left Iraq in order to arrange for a dozen of its employees held hostage to be freed. So did the Turkish trucking company that employed those abducted Turks.

Seems like now the game is different. The beheading is not simply a threat in order to gain immediate concessions, but rather and objective of itself in order to sow terror.

[stuartcr]

Companies, yes, but not govts, and their armies.

[eleni121]

Our condolences and experessions of support should be sent to the Embassy of Bulgaria. We need to show our solidarity with the Government and brave people of Bulgaria which is not capitulating to the terrorist Muslims like the Philippines and Spain.

Here are the relevant contacts:
Embassy of Bulgaria, Washington D.C

1621 22nd Street, NW, Washington D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 387-0174; Fax: (202) 234 7973;
office@bulgaria-embassy.org
consulate@bulgaria-embassy.org