Posted on 03/23/2006 1:49:10 AM PST by prisoner6
MetroSource News 03/23/2006 02:32:46 Iraq Christians Freed URGENT
>>Christian Aid Workers Freed In Iraq
(Baghdad) -- Three Christian aid workers kidnapped in Iraq have been freed following what's being described as "a planned operation mounted by the Multinational Forces in Iraq." The British Embassy has confirmed that Briton Norman Kember and two Canadian nationals -- Harmeet Sooden and Jim Loney are being evaluated by doctors and are currently in the care of consular staff. The three men were taken hostage along with a fourth member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in late November. The body of Tom Fox, a native of Virginia, was recovered earlier this month in Baghdad.
### Alisha Mathis/bak
Sorry, I meant 'released' not 'rescued.'
This confirms the general opinion:
From www.sojo.net
Tom's last journey
by Doug Pritchard
Our brother Tom has begun his final journey home.
He left Anaconda military base at Balat, Iraq, at dawn on Mar. 13 (9 p.m. EST, Mar. 12), and is expected to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware at 1 a.m. EST, Mar. 14.
CPT Toronto was originally informed by Canadian authorities at 1:30 p.m. EST Mar. 10, that a body had been found in Baghdad which was likely that of Tom Fox. An hour later, when the CPT Iraq team asked officials at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad if they could come to identify the body, they were told that it had already left on a military transport for Dover. Officials had repeatedly assured the team over the previous three months that CPT would be able to accompany our colleagues home "if at all possible." They now said that their only focus was getting the body back to the USA as soon as possible. At 8 p.m. EST, the U.S. State Department confirmed the identity as Tom Fox based on fingerprints.
The next day, Mar. 11, at 10 a.m. EST, CPT Iraq learned that Tom's body was still at the Anaconda base at Balat. The U.S. Embassy arranged for Beth Pyles, a member of the CPT Iraq team, to travel to Anaconda, and she was able to keep vigil with Tom for the next 36 hours until his departure. Meanwhile, CPT members Rich Meyer and Anne Montgomery travelled to Dover, and have been in the vicinity since 5 p.m. Mar. 11, keeping vigil and awaiting Tom's arrival.
Pyles was present on the tarmac at Anaconda as Tom's coffin was loaded onto the plane for Dover. She reported that his coffin was draped in a U.S. flag. This is unusual for a civilian, but Tom may not have been uncomfortable with this since he had always called his nation to live out the high ideals which it professed. Iraqi detainees who die in U.S custody are also transported to Dover for autopsies and forensics. On this plane, right beside Tom's coffin, was the coffin of an Iraqi detainee. So Tom accompanied an Iraqi detainee in death, just as he had done so often in life.
At Tom's departure, Pyles read out from the gospel of John, "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it" (1:5). In honour of Tom's Iraqi companion, she spoke the words called out repeatedly from the mosques of Baghdad during the Shock and Awe bombing campaign in March 2003, "allah akhbar" (God is greater). She concluded the sending with words from the Jewish scriptures, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).
Dawn broke. The contingent of Puerto Rican soldiers nearby saluted. The plane taxied away. Venus, the morning star, shone brightly overhead as the night faded away. Godspeed you, Tom, on your final journey home to your family and friends.
Doug Pritchard is a co-director of Christian Peacemaker Teams.
But of course the hostages didn't hesitate to be rescued by the big, bad, mean military, did they? Hypocrites.
I suspect you are spot on with that.
prisoner6
And the Canadian press up here have not been much better.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces freed three Christian peace activists, including Briton Norman Kember, held hostage in Iraq on Thursday in an operation mounted two weeks after the kidnappers tortured and killed their American colleague.
Or if they have converted to Islam and now stick their butts in the air 5 times a day...
The delegation coordinator for the group, Claire Evans, said by telephone that Mr. Loney, a 41-year old Canadian, had contacted his family by telephone this morning from the Green Zone, the fortified compound where some American military forces, Iraqi government offices and the American embassy are located.
The men were freed by multinational forces in a military operation, and the Iraqi Interior Ministry said it was believed the captives were freed in a town north of Baghdad, although there were conflicting reports on the location of the operation, according to an Associated Press report.
prisoner6
Free at last, Free at last. Thank God almighty, they are free at last.
Free at last, Free at last. Thank God almighty, they are free at last.
Nov. 29: Christian Peacemaker Teams blames the kidnappings on the U.S. and British invasion and occupation of Iraq. The four hostages are shown on videotape broadcast by the Al-Jazeera news network.
Nov. 30: The influential Association of Muslim Scholars calls for hostages' release.
Dec. 1: Families and friends of hostages plead for their release.
Dec. 2: Al-Jazeera broadcasts a second video in which kidnappers threaten to execute the four hostages unless all Iraqi prisoners in U.S.- and Iraqi-run detention centres are released by Dec. 8. Prime Minister Paul Martin promises all federal government resources to secure the release of hostages. Deadline subsequently extended to Dec. 10.
Jan. 28, 2006: Al-Jazeera broadcasts videotape showing four activists with warning of "last chance'' for authorities to release Iraqi prisoners.
March 7: Al-Jazeera broadcasts new videotape showing three activists apparently calling on their governments to help them. Fox is not seen in the video.
March 8: Fox's body is found in Baghdad.
March 23: The three remaining hostages -- James Loney, Harmeet Singh Sooden and Norman Kember -- are freed by a military operation conducted by multinational forces in a town north of Baghdad
Canadian hostage James Loney is shown in this image taken from Al-Jazeera television footage that aired Monday.
Canadian hostage Harmeet Singh Sooden is shown in this image taken from Al-Jazeera.
British hostage Norman Kember
Sounds as if a ransom was paid ...
"A British official said no captors were present when the men were found. There were no casualties in the operation, an embassy official said.
Doug Pritchard of Christian Peacemaker Teams also told reporters in Toronto the hostages were unguarded. He said no gunshots were fired."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/03/23/iraq.hostages/
Hmmm. Did we hear anything from these folks when Iraqis went missing under Sadaam Hussein's rule? The big difference THIS time, is that it is more likely that those missing stand a good chance of making it back home, instead of ending up in a mass grave somewhere in the desert.
My initial belief that this was staged still stands.
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