Ex-Hostage Jill Carroll Arrives in U.S.

Associated Press ^ | 4/2/06 | GLEN JOHNSON

[TexKat]

BOSTON - Jill Carroll, the U.S. journalist held hostage for 82 days in Iraq, returned to the United States on Sunday aboard a commercial flight to Boston.

The 28-year-old was accompanied on the Lufthansa flight by a colleague from her employer, the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, according to reporters on the plane.

Carroll declined to comment while on the flight. She left the airport in a black limousine escorted by state police. Her destination was unknown.

She was released Thursday after nearly three months in captivity. She was seized Jan. 7 in western Baghdad by gunmen who killed her Iraqi translator while the two were on the way to meet a Sunni Arab official in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.

Carroll left the Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany on Saturday after arriving from Balad Air Base in Baghdad. She strongly disavowed statements she had made during captivity in Iraq and shortly after her release, saying she had been repeatedly threatened.

In a video recorded before she was freed and posted by her captors on an Islamist Web site, Carroll spoke out against the U.S. military presence. On Saturday, she said the recording was made under duress.

"During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. So I agreed," she said in a statement.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."

Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., who was held prisoner for more than five years during the Vietnam War, on Sunday said Carroll found herself in "a terrible, terrible position" and said Americans should view her taped statements critical of the U.S. military presence in Iraq in that context.

"We are glad she's home. We understand when you're held a captive in that situation that you do things under duress. God bless her, and we're glad she's home," McCain said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

McCain said he would not take seriously anything Carroll said while she was being held captive.

"I would not take them seriously, I would not any more than we took seriously other tapes and things that were done in other prison situations, including the Vietnam War," McCain said.

Carroll, who has studied Arabic, attracted a huge amount of sympathy during her ordeal, and a wide variety of groups in the Middle East, including the Islamic militant group Hamas, appealed for her release.

Aside from the short interview aired on Iraqi television upon her release, Carroll had otherwise not shown herself in public prior to a brief appearance Saturday.

The kidnappers, calling themselves the Revenge Brigades, had demanded the release of all female detainees in Iraq by Feb. 26 or Carroll would be killed. U.S. officials did release some female detainees at the time, but said it had nothing to do with the demands.

In the statement, Carroll also disavowed an interview she gave to the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni Arab organization in whose offices she was dropped off upon her release. She said the party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word."

"At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear, I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times," she said. "Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One — that I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military, and two — that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither statement is true."

The remarks have drawn criticism from conservative bloggers and commentators, but the Monitor said "Carroll did what many hostage experts and past captives would have urged her to do: Give the men who held the power of life and death over her what they wanted."

Carroll has said her kidnappers confined her to a small, soundproof room with frosted, opaque windows.

In her statement Saturday, she condemned her captors, although she did not address the war in Iraq.

"I will not engage in polemics. But let me be clear: I abhor all who kidnap and murder civilians, and my captors are clearly guilty of both crimes," she said.

Carroll thanked those who had helped secure her release and said she wanted time to recover.

"This has been a taxing 12 weeks for me and for my family," she said. "Please allow us some quiet time alone, together."

[BlueStateDepression]

If that was a reason it is so dangerous there then if they left all would be well. Please do not try to push that line of crap. You know that isn't true as well as I do.

Will you say to me that if all US soldiers left it would no longer be dangerous to hop around bagdahd?

I love it when people think that their being there means noone else can know basic issues or that this means noone else can say anything.

So go and tell me that I am wrong. Tell me that if all American troops left Iraq that it would be hunky doory there.

By the way some folks actually do know folks that have spent time there and the sahring of information with those folks leads to their positions. My buddy's brother spent well over a year in Ramadi, I have pictures of him holding some of Saddam's gold bars ( among other pictures of course).

So now then, go on and tell me again how safe Iraq would be if there was no Americans there. Tell me about how we are the problem and how upon exit the proble we are talking about would be solved. It wouldn't and you know it.

[TexKat]

Have you seen any pictures of the wounded Bob Woodruff?

"

Air Force medical personnel carry Bob Woodruff, co-anchor of ABC's 'World News Tonight' on a stretcher into a C17 Globemaster aircraft at Ramstein airbase in south-western Germany, January 31, 2006. The usual levity that marks the annual Radio-Television Correspondents Assn. dinner briefly made way Wednesday for emotional tributes to injured ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and his late predecessor Peter Jennings. REUTERS/Alex Grimm

"

Air Force medical personnel carry Bob Woodruff, co-anchor of ABC's 'World News Tonight' on a stretcher into a C17 Globemaster aircraft at Ramstein airbase in Germany, January 31, 2006. Six weeks after he was gravely wounded by a bomb blast on assignment in Iraq, Woodruff was released on Thursday from a military hospital outside Washington, the network said. (Alex Grimm/Reuters)

[Revolting cat!]

I nominate this as the most hateful take on the situation that I've come across to date.

You nominate yourself for all you had typed above this sentence without quotes or italics? Please please, it's not that bad, there is a lot of truth in it, don't hate yourself, we beg you!

[CindyDawg]

What do you mean? Because they are drawing the "bad guys" in?

[CindyDawg]

We'll see.

[claudiustg]

---Thank you, thank you so much!

I would like to thank the Academy, and all the "little people" that I stepped on to make it here today..---

I'm sorry there is no cash prize. Will you accept the appreciation of a grateful FReeper nation? :^)

[Allegra]

And I have a picture of me holding one of Saddam's gold AKs. And sitting on his throne in Victory Palace. So what?

You (I believe deliberately) misconstrued my point. If I'm looking for someone to do that, I can just go to the Palestine Hotel and chat with the media. You certainly took everything I said out of context.

One of the reasons it is dangerous here IS because we (the U.S.) are here providing liberty and this spells defeat to the terrorists. Does that make it easier for you to comprehend?

And it's not "crap" what I'm saying so lose the attitude.

And yes, I believe I have a better perspective on what's going on here because I am here. If you can't accept that, you just might be a little thick. I never said nobody else can say anything. Stop using the media's lame tactics of putting words in peoples' mouths. And stop watching the news so much, or at least stop believing them. And post more coherently.

And clean up your room.

[claudiustg]

---You nominate yourself for all you had typed above this sentence without quotes or italics?---

My humble dashes will not suffice?

[HAL9000]

I would bet my eye teeth that this premiere example of an idiot American girl was seduced by a handsome terrorist.

Okay, you've got a bet. I'll bring the pliers.

[daybreakcoming]

McCain was in 'Nam? Who knew.

I've heard John Kerry was, too
Has anybody else heard that?

Why have they kept it secret? Why hasn't the msm reported this!?!

[Allegra]

What do you mean? Because they are drawing the "bad guys" in?

Yes, of course. Our presence here has concentrated them into one area. They've come from all over the last three years. Many of the terrorists' top dogs are here. Several have been captured or killed here.

It's brilliant when you think about it. It was likely unintentional, but it has been a big benefit in weakening al-Qaeda and quelling some of the radicals such as al-Sadr.

[Polybius]

But would you agree to have sex with her?

"So, what's it going to be Infidel? We s-l-o-w-l-y saw off your head with a dull saw or you have sex with our comrade Helen Thomas?"

"What's taking you so long? What is your answer!"

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!!"

[TexKat]

A timeline of events involving kidnapped U.S. journalist

4/2/2006, 2:19 p.m. ET The Associated Press

(AP) — Following is a timeline of events involving Jill Carroll, a 28-year-old freelance reporter on assignment for The Christian Science Monitor who was seized Jan. 7 in Baghdad and returned to the United States on Sunday:

1999: Carroll receives a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

2002: Carroll moves to Jordan six months before the war starts in March 2003 "to learn as much about the region as possible before the fighting began." She was laid off as a reporting assistant for The Wall Street Journal before heading overseas.

Jan. 7, 2005: Carroll is kidnapped from one of Baghdad's most dangerous Sunni Arab neighborhoods. Her translator is shot dead by her captors. Carroll had traveled to the neighborhood to interview a Sunni Arab politician.

Jan. 17: Al-Jazeera TV airs a silent 20-second video of Carroll. An accompanying message gave the United States until Jan. 20 to free female prisoners in Iraq and said Carroll would be killed otherwise. On the tape, Carroll is pale and appears tired.

Jan. 19: Carroll's mother appeals for her daughter's release hours before her captors' deadline to kill her.

Jan. 20: The Sunni Arab politician Carroll had traveled to interview when she was abducted, Adnan al-Dulaimi, appeals for Carroll's release. The deadline set by her captors to kill her passes.

Iraqi Arab Sunni politician Adnan al-Dulaimi speaks at a press conference in Baghdad. Dulaimi said that the dispute over Iraq's security apparatus is still blocking to form a national unity government.(AFP/Sabah Arar)

Jan. 26: The U.S. military says it will release five Iraqi women detainees, but U.S. officials say it has nothing to do with the captors' demand. Several other Iraqi women remain jailed.

Jan. 30: Weeping and wearing an Islamic veil, Carroll again appears on a video aired by Al-Jazeera. The tape does not play clear audio but reports that Carroll had appealed for authorities to free all women prisoners in Iraq to help in winning her release.

Feb. 7: French film star Juliette Binoche joins dozens of demonstrators in Paris calling for Carroll's release.

Feb. 9: Carroll appears in a video dated Feb. 2 aired on a private Kuwaiti TV channel. Speaking in a strong voice, Carroll says: "I sent you a letter written by my hand, but you wanted more evidence. I am here. I am fine. Please just do whatever they want, give them whatever they want as quickly as possible. There is a very short time. Please do it fast. That's all."

March 29: Carroll's twin sister, Katie, appeals for her release in comments broadcast on Al-Arabiya, saying Jill had good relations with the Iraqi people.

March 30: Jill Carroll is freed. Monitor editor David Cook says she has spoken with her father and is fine.

April 2: Carroll returns to the United States aboard a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Boston's Logan International Airport.

[BlueStateDepression]

It is dangerous there because of folks that will kill anyone aytime to instill fear in those they seek to opress into a following of "loyal subjects of allah".

Wether we are there or not it is dangerous because of these folks and the ideology they retain. You can claim that we are part of the proble as you did so clearly in your post. I took nothing out of context. you stated quite clearly that we are part of the problem and that is simply not the case.

Remember post 59 ??

((((( I said))))
It is not the presence of American ( and other) forces that make it this way...
(((((you said)))))Well, yeah, that is one of the reasons it is dangerous here.


You can claim out of context all you like, that simply is not true. You were quite clear. I dissent that position and explain why.

You sure do like to give alot of orders for someone that claims "I never said nobody else can say anything."

Look man, you said what you said and it was quite clear. Go ahead and try to back out of it and blame me for what you said.

Just because you are there does intiminidate me. I hold my views and I stand behind them partially due to how they are formed.

My position is that it is not our troops presence that causes Bagdahd to be unsafe.

That is your position and you said so. Accept that and move on.

[Allegra]

Well, yeah, that is one of the reasons it is dangerous here.

Yep, that's what I said and I stand by it.

Read my Post #71. Maybe it'll awaken a brain cell or two.

I'm afraid you're a litte too thick AND a little to obnoxious to engage in reasonable debate. You did take what I said out of context and I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that you're just not bright enough to comprehend my point. Therefore, further discussion with you is a waste of my time and an exercise in futiilty.

You're about to make my "Troll" list, n00B.

[BlueStateDepression]

AHHH the troll comment comes out.

You state the MURTHA position that US troops ar e part of the problem.

I state the BUSH position that US troops are part of the solution.

I will stand by my peers in this little quip. By all means you can do the same.

I notice you claim out of contyext several times but have not provided the context you claim is proper.

You said what you said and that is that Troops being there is part of the problem.....enjoy your peers Murtha and Pelosi and Dean and Kerry.

I laugh at you for calling me a troll......truly that is hilarious.

How long exactly does it take before you deema person no longer a 'noob"?

I just want to be clear on when that actually occurs.

You are hilarious dude, and I sense a hint of projection on your part.

[Allegra]

And actually, what you said in #54 was this:

The reasons Bagdahd is not so safe to hop around without force protection rather than the fact it is that way.

What on earth does that mean? ROFL!

[Allegra]

A. I am not a dude.

B. You are clearly an idiot with serious comprehension problems. Seek help.

[Allegra]

you said and that is that Troops being there is part of the problem.....enjoy your peers Murtha and Pelosi and Dean and Kerry.

You find where I said that. Go ahead...reference the post where I said the troops were part of the problem. I want the quote verbatim. Find it.

I'd be offeneded at your baseless comparisons, but I realize you are either still in junior high or just not very bright, so I'll give you my sympathy instead.

While stupid people are one of the things in life I have little patience for, I do have sympathy for them.

Good luck in your life.

[debboo]

WHO THE HELL CARES???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If she went over there she knew what the consequences could be.