Posted on 09/29/2004 9:12:51 AM PDT by Ace
Ransom payments seen fuelling Iraq's hostage crisis
By Luke Baker BAGHDAD, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The release of two Italian aid workers in Iraq has raised hopes other hostages may soon be freed, but reports that a large ransom was paid may only feed the burgeoning hostage crisis.
The two Italians, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, had been seized along with two Iraqi colleagues from a central Baghdad office in a brazen attack witnesses described as very organised and probably carried out by a criminal gang.
Gustavo Selva, an Italian lawmaker, told French radio a ransom of around $1 million had been handed over.
"In principle, we shouldn't give in to blackmail but this time we had to. Although it's a dangerous path to take because, obviously, it could encourage others to take hostages, either for political reasons or for criminal reasons," Selva told RTL.
"The sum ($1 million) is probably correct," he added.
Over the past year or more, hundreds of Iraqis -- doctors, surgeons and prominent businessmen -- have been kidnapped by criminal gangs who demand ransoms of up to $100,000.
Now, with so many easily-identifiable foreigners in Iraq, criminals appear to have branched out, targeting more lucrative Westerners and foreign workers as well as locals.
Kadhim estimates that about 90 percent of the kidnappings in Iraq are carried out by criminal gangs, who then trade the captives on to militant Islamic groups and other factions.
"If the criminals don't get their money within 72 hours or so, they sell them up the chain to other groups," said a British security consultant who has been operating in Iraq for a year.
"There's vast amounts of money being paid, whether it's by companies, families or governments. It's a very, very good business," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.netscape.cnn.com ...
"Ah, Osama, this method of fundraising is so much more lucrative than having a bake sale!"
In WWII they went to the allies and away from the Axis, now they're helping the new Axis.
Great. When do we bomb Italy for financing terrorism?
Is this not a violation of international law?
That'll buy a lot of explosives. Italains are as bad as the French. Damn fools.
How many other people will now die with this blood money?
Now the Italians have given an incentive for more kidnappings. They just openned the door to who knows what. Italy denies it of course, but they're guilty and they know it.
I suppose you are thinking of the woman who was arrested in Afghanistan, and held by the Taliban, she later converted to Islam.
However, I have another article, (will flag you) about a Shia Muslim cleric held by kidnappers in Iraq, and he did not find them nice, warm or sympathetic at all - possibly because they were his fellow Muslims, but of the Sunni sect. They sounded like cruel people who were after money.
War is not about personal feelings...actions taken or not taken affect multitudes.
The payoff will harm multitudes of others ...and yeah, the two women and their families are happy but for how long and at what price...
Millions for tribute, not one cent for defense.
Why?
"That's a lot of terrorist bombs and bullets. The Euro way doesn't save lives."
I doubt that the transfer of this amount of money was handled on a cash basis. Is there any way that our US spooks could stop, confiscate, or intercept an electronic transfer of these funds? Surely the Cult of the Dead Cow could be gainfully employed by the CIA with regard to this matter....
What utter ignorant bullshit. Twenty years ago was 1984. Pope John Paul was as instrumental in defeating communism as Ronald Reagan, and Reagan gave him credit as such. The Pope provided the Reagan administration with crucial intelligence with regard to the situation in Poland, the land of his birth, on the situation in Gdansk (Danzig) at the time that Lech Walesa was pushing for the formation of a labor union in a communist satellite in that city. That union was one of the first accomplishments in the destruction of the Soviet empire.
Where in hell would you come up with a hypothesis for your statement?! WTF?
Pope John Paul was one of the top ten men of the 20th century, IMHO. Were it not for him, we may still be facing the prospect of the planned Soviet dominization of the world. Reagan could not have accomplished what he did without the Pope.
That said, I should tell you that I am a Protestant who has problems with the US Catholic Church and their functions in the US.
But Pope John Paul has my admiration.......
piss off.
hey ....they deal with terrorist / terrorism , their way .........WE DEAL WITH TERRORIST , ..... OUR WAY .......then we'll deal with people , who deal with terrorist .....OUR WAY ....it's gonna be a long .. war , struggle , challange , and task .....BUT , PAYBACK IS GONNA BE A REAL BITCH , in the end .
Hey! Don't call them appeasers. They didn't withdraw troops like Spain and the Philippines did, much less oppose the war outright like France and Germany.Italy was a good ally of ours and I can't stand these types of decategorizations. They should never, ever repeat that thing again though.
It appears that Italians think differently...
See #157
A large number of italians believe in la dolce vita...I remember Italian Communist acquaintances wearing their 18K gold hammer and sickles around their necks over their Armani sweaters sipping Campari...I just hope that they don't have to go through the experiences of the 5th centuries all over again.
Point: caving in doesn't work...is that too hard to understand?
Also Denzel Washington in "Man on Fire", about the kidnapping industry in Mexico........
Great movie just out on DVD and at the top of the DVD charts. A must see y'all!
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