Posted on 07/09/2008 5:31:36 PM PDT by Coffee200am
DUBAI (Reuters) - An al Qaeda Yemeni wing called in an Internet posting on Wednesday for kidnappings of tourists in the Arab country to press for the release of jailed militants.
"It is a duty that detainees be freed through any rough way such as kidnapping tourists, who are numerous, or through various other ways," an article in the e-magazine of al Qaeda in the South of the Arabian Peninsula read.
The group said it was pained some militants "had turned themselves in voluntarily to the ruling regime to improve their situation", in an apparent reference to a Yemeni-American thought to be a major figure in the bombing of U.S. warship Cole in 2000, who turned himself in to Yemeni authorities in 2007.
Jaber Elbaneh was allowed to walk free after surrendering but a Yemeni court sent him back to jail this year. His release had irked Washington, which had complained to Yemen.
Dozens of al Qaeda militants are serving jail terms in Yemen for attacks on Western and government targets.
Scores of holidaymakers and foreigners working in Yemen have been kidnapped over the past decade by tribesmen demanding better schools, roads and services, or the release of prisoners.
Most hostages have been freed unharmed, but in 2000 a Norwegian diplomat was killed in crossfire and in 1998 four Westerners were killed during a botched army attempt to free them from Islamic militants who had seized 16 tourists.
Yemen, which joined the U.S.-led war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. cities, is seen in the West as a haven for Islamist militants.
(Excerpt) Read more at in.reuters.com ...
Good luck with that, al Qaeda. You’re more likely to find a tourist in Zimbabwe.
bump
The Al Qaeda leadership that puts out this junk is a bunch of cowards.
Yeah. Death Valley, with the possibility of beheading.
And I was so looking forward to going trout fishing in Yemen.
When you need a break from Guantanomo, Yemen is the place!
Ha Ha! Yeah, I was thinking...where should I vacation this year? Let’s see, Hawaii? Paris? The Caribbean? Nah, this year it’s YEMEN!
Ah, no place like Yemen.
What’s to stop AQ from calling for kidnapping Americans in any country?
I’m sure if that were to happen that a President Obama would demand an immediate...conversation.
Well - there’s probably a lot of history to see there - that is, if satan’s minions haven’t destroyed it all yet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.