Posted on 02/01/2005 11:22:09 AM PST by Peach
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners.
The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what appeared to be an American soldier in desert fatigues seated with his hands tied behind his back.
A gun barrel was pointed at his head, and he is seated in front of a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet."
A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Marine Sgt. Salju K. Thomas, said he had no information on the claim but "we are currently looking into it."
A statement posted with the picture suggested the group was holding other soldiers.
"Our mujahadeen heroes of Iraq's Jihadi Battalion were able to capture American military man John Adam after killing a number of his comrades and capturing the rest," said the statement, signed by the "Mujahedeen Brigades."
"God willing, we will behead him if our female and male prisoners are not released from U.S. prisons within the maximum period of 72 hours from the time this statement has been released," the statement said.
The claim, carried on the Web site ansarnet.ws, could not be verified.
More than 180 foreigners have been kidnapped in the past year. At least 10 of them, including three American civilians, remain in the hands of their kidnappers.
The only American soldier known to have been taken hostage is Pfc. Keith M. Maupin, 20, of Batavia, Ohio, who was shown in a video in April being held by militants. Another video aired in June showed what purported to be Maupin's slaying, but the picture was too unclear to confirm it was him and the military still lists him as missing.
Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun went missing in Iraq in June and later photos surfaced on Arab television showing him blindfolded with a sword to his head. In July he made his way to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Back in the United States, he said he had been captured, but in December he was charged with desertion for the incident.
We can all laugh at the stupidity of both the self-styled kidnappers for expecting people to fall for such a crude hoax, and the MSM for actually doing so.
However....
This incident underscores how the MSM's ignorance of basic military matters makes it an easy target for anti-American propagandists.
If they can fall for this, they'll fall for far more sophisticated hoaxes.
And the MSM will have millions believing it.
Me too.
I freep mailed the moderator but he didn't want to move it. Darn. It would give freepers a good laugh.
What's Hannity saying?
Way up the thread, I said they would NEVER admit they had been had. They just won't follow-up on it.
Sounds like a job for Art Clokey
LOL!
true.
One thing we can do is use this as a goad to force them to do better.
"Oh, really? Remember John Adam?" could become the ultiumate snappy comeback whenever the LSM makes idiotic claims, asks idiotic questions, etc...
all it'd take would be a few Conservative talkingheads to adopt this tactic...
True, but wouldnt you say it greatly reduces the MSM's future credibility on military matters at the same time?
Not to mention making them investigate more fully before going to print...
this is a GI JOE ACTION FIGURE. See the link below for the proof. this is a hoax/spoof on the AP.
http://www.monkeydepot.com/Merchant/bd0450.JPG
This may have been said already, I didn't read through all 670 previous posts on the thread. But I definitely think it reveals the incredible eagerness of the MSM to report anything negative, no matter how spurious the information may be. I knew as soon as I saw the photo that it was a doll, I hadn't even any of the thread yet. In order to have gone to air with that story and that photo, the MSM had to have been blinded by their desperation for some bad news.
Darn for sure. Not only does it provide some much needed laughter, but it's the thread where FR participated in breaking the hoax and alerting Drudge. I don't think the MM would've retracted or questioned the legitimacy if Drudge hadn't sort've forced them into it.
Yikes! That one looks like Wacko Jacko!
That's the difference. This is the real press.
How right you are.
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