Regards, Ivan
Posted on 07/13/2004 4:00:25 PM PDT by MadIvan
A BULGARIAN truck driver has been murdered by Iraqi militants, according to al-Jazeera, the Arabic television service.
The station said last night that it had received a video of the murder, which it did not broadcast. Footage was shown of three masked men standing behind a kneeling man wearing an orange jumpsuit. The Bulgarian Government confirmed that one of its citizens had been murdered.
The militants, members of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Tawhid wal Jihad group, also threatened to kill a second Bulgarian hostage within 24 hours unless the United States acted upon the group’s original demand to release all Iraqi detainees.
The Bulgarian Government has identified the two men as Ivailo Kepov, 32, and Georgy Lazov, 30, both truck drivers.
Mr Lazov is believed to be the victim featured on the murder video.
The men, who had been transporting cars from Bulgaria, were taken hostage near the northern Iraqi town of Mosul at the end of June.
The Tawhid wal Jihad group, which has claimed responsibility for the beheadings of both Nick Berg, the American contractor, and Kim Sun Il, the South Korean translator, released footage of the two Bulgarians in handcuffs last Thursday.
The news came as the Bush Administration warned the Government of the Philippines that it should not capitulate to the demands of hostage-takers by withdrawing its troops from Iraq.
Such a move would “send the wrong signal to terrorists around the globe”, according to a senior US official. Washington was seeking “clarification” of Manila’s intentions.
The Administration spoke out after Filipino ministers suggested that they would bow to demands by a group calling itself the Iraqi Islamic Army, which is threatening to behead a kidnapped Filipino lorry driver unless Manila withdraws its tiny peacekeeping force.
The hostage, Angelo de la Cruz, a father of eight, has been held captive for a week, with the kidnappers repeatedly extending the deadline for his murder as secret negotiations continue.
Yesterday morning after a long night of Cabinet talks Rafael Seguis, the deputy foreign minister, said the 51 soldiers would leave “as soon as possible . . . in the time it takes to carry out the necessary preparation for their return to the Philippines”.
Delia Albert, the Foreign Minister, repeated her deputy’s statement, but neither specified whether the withdrawal would take place before the kidnappers’ July 20 deadline or by their own previously agreed timetable of August 20.
The Philippines military said it was ready to quit Iraq at a moment’s notice. “The troops have been prewarned that they may be asked at any time to move out,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Lucero, an army spokesman. “That means they should pack up. But we have not gotten the final order to go.”
Richard Boucher, the State Department spokesman, said such remarks were “disappointing at a time when Iraq is fighting for stability and peace”.
If Manila does withdraw its force it would be the first time a coalition government has caved in to kidnappers’ threats and would almost certainly encourage further kidnappings. It would futher fracture the coalition after Spain and several smaller countries withdrew their troops in the spring.
America, its allies South Korea and now Bulgaria have all seen horrific footage of their citizens being beheaded by militants after refusing to alter their military stance on Iraq.
Japan also refused to pull out in April despite kidnappers’ threats to burn three hostages alive. The three were eventually released.
The equivocation of the Filipino government — caught between support for Washington and a potential domestic backlash if Mr De la Cruz is murdered — has set alarm bells ringing in Iraq.
“It is not a wise idea to give in to the demands of hostage-takers,” said Mowaffaq Abboud, an adviser to Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I heard this on the radio on my way to voice. God Bless him. +
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