Posted on 01/07/2006 1:38:41 AM PST by HAL9000
BAGHDAD, Jan 7 (Reuters) - A female Western journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad on Saturday and her translator killed, police said.They said she was on her way to a meeting with a Sunni Arab leader when a car carrying an unknown number of gunmen blocked her vehicle in the Adel district near Malik bin Anas mosque in west Baghdad.
The gunmen shot dead her driver, an Iraqi journalist who also worked as her translator, abandoned their car and drove off in hers.
There has been a spate of kidnappings of Westerners in Iraq over the past few months after a lull during most of 2005. Four Christian peace activists -- a Briton, an American and two Canadians -- are still being held captive. A French engineer is also being held.
Explanation? Al-Qaeda doesn't want to kill the goose that lays the golden (propaganda) eggs.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0413/p06s03-wogn.htm
Strawberry Shopping in Iraq: Correspondent Jill Carroll went outside in Baghdad without her hijab Tuesday for the first time in three months. The head-to-toe traditional covering allows her to blend in, protecting her from possible kidnapping or attacks. But she had to renew her visa, and that required new photos. "I couldn't wear the hijab to the photo shop and then take if off - that would be a dead giveaway. No hijab-wearing Iraqi woman would take off her garment in public," says Jill. So she decided to go without.
"My Iraqi interpreter took one look at my jeans and shirt and told me to change into something more suitable. I put on a pair of black pants and tailored shirt that Iraqis wear."
Her interpreter signed off on the new wardrobe and they left. "I speak enough Arabic so that the clerk in the photo shop assumed I was Iraqi," says Jill.
While they were waiting for the photos to be developed, they went to a market. "It was a remarkable feeling to be able to walk in the street uncovered. I felt almost naked without the hijab, but also very liberated. We bought strawberries from Syria. That's the first time I've seen strawberries here."
Before I always said the same, I want to point out that of the many women the Palestinian, Afghanistan and Iraqi terrorist have kidnapped, they haven't harmed or abused any of them. This includes the two young female Christian missionaries kidnapped before the war in Afghanistan.
Looks like there might be a Daniel Pearl situation going on. She was on her way to for a meeting with a Sunni terror leader Adnan al-Dulaimi.
It looks like some Sunnis had a head's up on the meeting, because she traveled in disguise as the Iraqi wife of her Iraqi translator. She was set up by the Sunnis who knew she was going to visit al-Dulaimi.
Ironic, since Carroll also worked at the Wall Street Journal until 2002.
It's 4:58 p.m. here--does anyone know where Helen Thomas is?
On second thought, the sight of her would have scared away any kidnapper--but one can hope.
Maybe, but they the driver's life was worthless to them, so in their eyes he was worthless and they killed him.
I had a supervisor that looked just like Helen Thomas. Gives me the willies every time I see her pic. UGH!
Maybe, but my intuition tells me this is a real kidnapping. I sure wish we had more to go on than intuition, but sometimes that's all you get. The killing of the driver/translator is a tragedy, regardless of who is responsible. The kidnapping, or "kidnapping," as the case may be, remains to be sorted out. In any case, prayers are never wasted, so I'll continue with them.
I wouldn't worry about her if she were German or Italian, because those governments have proved over and over that they will pay ransoms.
The U.S. doesn't pay ransom. She's in trouble. Prayers.
This alone suggests to me that Ms Carroll may have been more than a bit naive. Being able to speak a language is one thing, but being able to speak it in the appropriate local dialect so fluently that a local would assume you were another local? Unless she is part Iraqi or has spent most of her life there, I doubt any Iraqi would be fooled for an instant.
"Notice how infrequently US journalists have been targeted (compared to 14 or so Iraqi journalists in 2005 alone)
Explanation? Al-Qaeda doesn't want to kill the goose that lays the golden (propaganda) eggs."
More likely that the US journalists have better protection and don't venture into as dangerous places as often. Never noticed Al-Qaeda being real choosy about which infidels they kill to be honest.
Amen.
Many American women are naive- in the regard that we see so much good in the world. Her story about strawberries is a beautiful example. In all the monochromatic beige of Iraq, she sees beautiful strawberries.
I agree, this does look like someone had a heads up.
By the same token, American women have much strength and if she's in deep shit, I'd gladly give her every ounce of mine right now.
MSM blackout of the story it seems. She must be attractive since they're not releasing her photo or interviewing her friends from college.
The MSM don't want the world to know that a young, attractive, white, female reporter has been kidnapped as is probably being violently violated by her Sunni Iraqi captors right now.
Freedom fighters or sub-human rapists? The MSM is afraid of the truth.
"The MSM is afraid of the truth."
That just needed to stand all by itself.
And still, no confirmation on the video shooting of the Alaskan/North or South (can't remember) contract employee (Marine)................................................
Does Christiane Amanpour need a translator? Plus she's not a US journalist.
http://bowman.typepad.com/cubowman/2005/12/jill_carroll_on.html
It seemed that she was absorbed recently in the factional aspects of Iraqi politics, looking beyond the gunmen and kidnappers. A clue?
Interesting that AP has pulled all references to the fact that the Jill Carroll worked for the Christian Science Monitor. The liberal media is in blackout mode on this one, bigtime. Even Al Jazeera is cooperating in keeping Miss Carroll's abduction quiet.
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