Iraq aid workers weigh up the dangers

[Talon]

Iraq aid workers weigh up the dangers

Aid agencies in Iraq are on edge, re-assessing the risks after four aid workers - two of them Italian - were kidnapped from their offices in Baghdad.

Many are reportedly considering an exit from Iraq and Westerners working for non-governmental organisations are especially wary.

While their humanitarian mission makes them conspicuous, ethical or financial considerations often stop aid agencies from hiring the heavily-armed escorts many expatriates deem essential for Iraq.

"When you get together, security is the first thing you talk about," says Steve Negus, editor at the Baghdad office for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, a non-governmental organisation that works towards media development.

Gangs with guns have been known to storm hotels and it is nothing new for foreigners to be snatched from Iraq's roads. But Mr Negus says the office abduction of the Italian aid workers "brings it a lot closer to home".

Deja vu

For Spanish charity, Medicos del Mundo, the risk was already unacceptably high. It recalled its Baghdad co-ordinator late last week, before the kidnapping.

"The security situation is worsening," Fernando Muno, the agency's emergency desk officer told BBC News Online.

A sense of deja vu accompanied the decision to withdraw.

"Since we went to Iraq, we have had to evacuate our people three times - in December 2002, April 2004 and September 2004," he said.

Mr Muno hopes the co-ordinator will soon be back in Baghdad but he is not optimistic - after the last withdrawal in April, it was not until July that a return was organised.

For the time being, the charity's mission - imparting medical training to Iraqi doctors - is in the hands of four Iraqi employees.

Unarmed and inconspicuous?

In one respect, all foreigners in Iraq - whether aid workers, administrators or soldiers - react in a similar fashion to the rising threat: by training locals to take up their task.

"We're already handing over to Iraqi staff," says Mr Muno, echoing the expression used by the US-led coalition when it handed over key duties to Iraqi politicians and police officers in June.

When its Baghdad office was bombed in October last year, the Red Cross evacuated much of its staff to neighbouring Jordan and transferred key duties to Iraqi employees.

"We continued our work but changed our methods," the organisation's Middle East spokeswoman, Rana Sidani, told BBC News Online.

The Red Cross, which has refused armed guards for any of its staff for fear of compromising its neutrality, now has some 400 Iraqis working for it.

The reduced reliance on foreign workers means it is now, arguably, less of a target for insurgents than it was a year ago.

The abduction of the Italian aid workers is worrying, says Ms Sidani, but it is "premature" to decide whether to scale back in Iraq.

For the time being, the aid workers staying put in Iraq are left trading survival tips.

Moving in military-style convoys is no longer a guarantee of security, many say, maintaining that the safest way is to travel with the locals, unarmed and inconspicuous.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3639500.stm

[Talon]

Italy seeks release of hostages

An Italian envoy has flown to the Middle East to seek help in securing the release of two female aid workers held hostage in Iraq.

The envoy, Margherita Boniver, has held talks with senior officials in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

She also plans to visit Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen and Syria.

The two Italians, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, and two Iraqi men were seized on Tuesday when gunmen stormed their office in Baghdad.

Ms Boniver, a junior minister in the Italian government, told Reuters: "The main purpose of the trip is to obtain from these people understanding and solidarity concerning the two kidnapped women and I hope this will have an impact in the local media."

In Baghdad, Iraqi children whom the aid workers had been helping, held a demonstration on Thursday to appeal for their release.

United effort

The kidnapping - Italy's third Iraq hostage crisis - has shocked Italy.

Opposition parties have put aside their differences with the government over Iraq to launch a joint appeal for the release of the two aid workers, who are both aged 29.

Silvio Berlusconi's government was sharply criticised for not doing enough to secure the release of a journalist, Enzo Baldoni, who was killed in Iraq last month.

In April, four Italian security guards were kidnapped and one of them was shot dead.

No ransom demands have been issued in connection with the latest kidnapping.

The French government is also facing a hostage crisis and is still working to try to free two journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who were kidnapped more than two weeks ago.

Following their kidnapping on 20 August, France swiftly sent an envoy to the Middle East to appeal for their release.

The kidnappers, believed to be from the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI), originally said the men would be killed unless France repealed a law banning the wearing of Islamic headscarves in state schools, which came into force last week.

However, the French authorities believe the two journalists are still alive.

More than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since March 2003. Most have been freed, but 25 were killed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3641638.stm

[Talon]

Iraq president in Italy for talks

Iraq's president is having talks with the Italian prime minister as Rome works to secure the release of two kidnapped female aid workers.

Ghazi Yawer has arrived in Rome where he is also set to meet his Italian counterpart, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

Italians Simona Pari and Simona Torretta and two Iraqi men were seized on Tuesday when gunmen stormed their office in Baghdad.

Italy has a despatched an envoy to the Middle East to push for their release.

The envoy, Margherita Boniver, has held talks with senior officials in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

She also plans to visit Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen and Syria.

Ms Boniver, a junior minister in the Italian government, told Reuters: "The main purpose of the trip is to obtain from these people understanding and solidarity concerning the two kidnapped women and I hope this will have an impact in the local media."

In Baghdad, Iraqi children whom the aid workers had been helping held a demonstration on Thursday to appeal for their release.

United effort

The kidnapping - Italy's third Iraq hostage crisis - has shocked Italy.

Opposition parties have put aside their differences with the government over Iraq to launch a joint appeal for the release of the two aid workers, who are both aged 29.

Silvio Berlusconi's government was sharply criticised for not doing enough to secure the release of a journalist, Enzo Baldoni, who was killed in Iraq last month.

In April, four Italian security guards were kidnapped and one of them was shot dead.

No ransom demands have been issued in connection with the latest kidnapping.

The French government is also facing a hostage crisis and is still working to try to free two journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who were kidnapped more than two weeks ago.

Following their kidnapping on 20 August, France swiftly sent an envoy to the Middle East to appeal for their release.

The kidnappers, believed to be from the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI), originally said the men would be killed unless France repealed a law banning the wearing of Islamic headscarves in state schools, which came into force last week.

However, the French authorities believe the two journalists are still alive.

More than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since March 2003. Most have been freed, but 25 were killed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3641638.stm

[LoPar]

You can only help those that want to help themselves. Unfortunately a pull out means that many people who need the help will suffer with a pull out of aid workers.

I can't blame the aid workers those....

[Talon]

Italy envoy seeks hostage release

The Italian foreign minister will travel to the Middle East in an effort to secure the release of two Italian women aid workers kidnapped in Iraq.

Franco Frattini will begin his trip in Kuwait where he will meet civilian and religious officials, his ministry said.

Simona Pari and Simona Torretta and two Iraqi men were seized last Tuesday.

A militant group threatened on Sunday to kill the women unless Italy pulls its troops out within 24 hours - the claims have not been verified.

Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini cast doubt on the validity of the threats from the little known Islamic Jihad Organisation. He repeated that Italy would not bow to demands to withdraw its 3,000 troops.

Italy has already despatched an envoy to the Middle East to push for the women's release.

A gang of up to 20 gunmen took the four hostages after storming the offices of the Italian humanitarian group A Bridge for Baghdad.

A previously unknown group calling itself Ansar al-Zawahri has also claimed responsibility for the capture.

'Solidarity'

The kidnapping has shocked Italy.

Opposition parties have put aside their differences with the government over Iraq to launch an appeal for the release of the aid workers, who are both aged 29.

Silvio Berlusconi's government was criticised for not doing enough to secure the release of a journalist, Enzo Baldoni, who was killed in Iraq last month.

In April, four Italian security guards were kidnapped and one of them was shot dead.

The French government is also facing a hostage crisis and is still working to try to free two journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who were kidnapped in August.

More than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since March 2003. Most have been freed, but 25 were killed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3650380.stm

[Talon]

Australians 'kidnapped' in Iraq

Australian officials say they are urgently investigating a report that a militant group has kidnapped two Australians in Iraq.

The AFP news agency quoted a statement in the name of a group called the Islamic Secret Army giving Canberra 24 hours to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

It said two other people described as East Asians had also been abducted.

In a separate development, websites used by Islamic militants showed the apparent killing of a Turkish hostage.

In the video, the blindfolded victim identifies himself as Durmus Kumdereli, a lorry driver seized near the northern city of Mosul on 14 August.

He urges transport companies and drivers not to work in Iraq. Separate footage then purportedly shows his execution.

Turkey said last month that another hostage captured with Mr Kumdereli, named as Mustafa Koksal, had been freed.

France and Italy are continuing efforts to win freedom for their nationals kidnapped in Iraq in recent weeks.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini arrived in Kuwait on Monday at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at securing freedom for two female aid workers - Simona Pari and Simona Torretta - abducted on 7 September.

Meanwhile French Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin said renewed fighting in Iraq was hampering efforts to free journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who disappeared on 20 August.

'No second chance'

In their statement about the alleged Australian hostages, circulated in the Sunni city of Samarra, purported militants said they had ambushed two US military vehicles on a road between Baghdad and Mosul.

They said Australian Prime Minister John Howard had to announce the withdrawal of troops personally.

"We tell the infidels of Australia that they have 24 hours to leave Iraq or the two Australians will be killed without a second chance," the statement was reported as saying.

A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the Australian government has "moving heaven and earth" to get more information.

Australia was a participant in last year's US-led invasion of Iraq and still has 850 troops there.

Australia goes to the polls on 9 October, for a general election in which Iraq has become a major issue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3652680.stm

[Talon]

Australia defies Iraq kidnap claim

The Australian government says it will not negotiate with terrorists, after claims that two Australians have been taken hostage in Iraq.

"We will not compromise in the face of threats of that kind," said Prime Minister John Howard.

A group called the Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army has threatened to execute its two alleged captives unless Canberra pulls out of Iraq.

Officials are trying to find out if the claim is genuine or a hoax.

In a rare show of agreement in the run-up to Australia's general election on 9 October, Labor leader Mark Latham said he supported Mr Howard's decision.

"I think it's wise policy... not to negotiate with terrorists," he said.

"Anyone who negotiates or makes any concessions to terrorists is just setting up further problems into the future."

Militants' demands

The militant group announced the kidnapping on Monday, claiming they had abducted two Australian security guards along with their two East Asian companions on a road between Baghdad and Mosul.

"We tell the infidels of Australia that they have 24 hours to leave Iraq, or the two Australians will be killed without a second chance," the group said in a statement released to the French news agency AFP.

Officials in Canberra are urgently investigating the claim.

"It's one of those dreadfully worrying things that every effort will be made to nail down and verify as soon as we can," Mr Howard told an Adelaide radio station on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer told reporters on Tuesday that all 88 NGO workers registered with the Australian embassy in Iraq had been accounted for.

But if the hostages had either not registered or forgotten to inform the embassy, they would not be included in this number.

"I would encourage people in Australia who have employees or loved ones or friends working in Iraq to get in touch with them," Mr Howard told reporters.

But he said it was a good sign that the alleged kidnappers had not released the names of their hostages.

"It's encouraging that the people have not been named because often when hostages have been taken they carry their papers with them and therefore they can be identified," Mr Howard said.

"Often in the past passports have been displayed on television," he said.

But if the claim turns out to be true, Mr Howard has made it clear that he intends not to bow to the kidnappers' demands.

On Tuesday he repeated his criticism of the Philippines and Spain for caving in to hostage-takers' demands earlier this year.

"We were unhappy about what happened both in relation to Spain and the Philippines," he said.

"You do not buy immunity from conduct of this kind by giving in."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3654514.stm

[wunarmdscissor]

I say leave .

It seems like the majority of Arabs wouldnt p*** on us if we were on fire so why bother anymore.

[Fluffybunny]

Now is not the time for aid workers, not until things are settled down a bit.

Being the midst of a war there is no room for people that are not fighting. Right now they just end up being kidnapped anyway, so we might as well keep aid workers out of the country right now.

Once the insurgency is over and Iraq returns to a less violence filled kidnappers heaven, then we can bring folks in who would like to help.

At this point, unless you have a weapon you really aren't needed there.

[Talon]

And it continues

Three foreigners seized in Iraq

A Briton and two US nationals working in Iraq have been abducted in Baghdad.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry said gunmen seized the men at dawn from a house in the capital's Mansour neighbourhood.

US and British embassy officials confirmed the kidnappings of the men, workers for a building contracting firm based in the United Arab Emirates.

Shortly after the abductions, a loud blast hit a residential area in central Baghdad. At least one person was killed and several were injured, police said.

At least 47 people were killed on Tuesday when a car bomb exploded close to an Iraqi police station in central Baghdad.

'Car missing'

The US embassy in Iraq named the two kidnapped Americans as Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong but did not give their home towns.

The British embassy said no details on the kidnapped Briton would be released until his family had been informed.

Iraqi interior ministry spokesman Colonel Adnan Abdul Rahman said: "Two Americans and a British civilian were kidnapped from their house in the Mansour district in Baghdad this morning around 0600 (0200 GMT)."

He told the Associated Press news agency they were employed by Gulf Services Company, a Middle East-based construction firm.

He said the men had been bundled into a minivan and driven off. A car was missing from the house where the men were reportedly taken.

There was no fighting as the hostages were taken.

The Mansour district is a wealthy residential area on the river Tigris, where many multinational companies have their headquarters.

Many foreign businessmen and contractors live there if they are not staying in the heavily defended Green Zone.

Fighters waging a 17-month insurgency in Iraq have kidnapped more than 100 foreigners in a bid to destabilise the interim government and drive foreign troops from the country.

Hostage freed

But kidnappers released a Jordanian hostage on Thursday, an official from Jordan's foreign ministry said. The man, a lorry driver, was freed after his company agreed to pull out of Iraq.

The official Petra news agency quoted an official as saying Turki Simer Khalifeh al-Breizat, 54, was freed and taken to the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad.

But the latest kidnappings brings the number currently being held to 19.

It follows the abduction of two female Italian aid workers last week, and two French journalists on 20 August.

Many aid workers and other expatriate civilians pulled out of Iraq after the Italians were seized.

Those who remain here do not move about the capital or other parts of the country without careful precaution, says the BBC's Mike Donkin in Baghdad.

Targets

Militants who have seized foreigners have usually demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.

Britain was the main supporter of last year's US-led invasion of the country.

It is the second largest troop contributor with more than 8,000 soldiers deployed in the south.

Many civilians from many nationalities have been seized - most have been freed after successful mediation efforts.

But many others have been killed - 12 Nepali cleaners and cooks, a Turkish laundry worker, a South Korean translator, an American businessman, two Pakistanis, two Bulgarian truck drivers and an Italian journalist.

The BBC's Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says a number of groups with a variety of agendas are involved.

Some of those kidnapped come from countries which have troops in Iraq, but others do not.

The kidnappers say that anyone helping the Americans is a legitimate target.

Meanwhile, virtually unreported by the international media, the kidnapping of Iraqis for ransom has become commonplace, particularly in Baghdad.

KIDNAP FACTS

More than 100 foreigners seized

19 being held

25 killed, including (12 Nepalese)

At least 3 Americans seized: Nick Berg - civilian - beheaded; Keith Maupin - soldier - killed (unconfirmed); Thomas Hamill -civilian - escaped

One Briton kidnapped: James Brandon - journalist - released

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661386.stm

Edited September 16, 2004 by Talon S.

[Guest Lottie]

...and these abductions go on and on and on...

[AztecInca]

Well at least we know the the earth hasn`t been blown up, more people are getting abducted in iraq everyday, its now just a common occurence, which we have accepted and live with! Its now just another news event, I feel so sorry for these people, i just hope things settle down a bit soon, otherwise everyone will be to afraid to to go to a neighbouring country of Iraq, oh wait we already are!

What a great world we live in!

[Talon]

Embassies seek Iraq kidnap clues

The United States and British embassies in Iraq have renewed their efforts to locate three expatriates kidnapped in Baghdad on Thursday.

A Briton and two Americans were seized at dawn from a house in a residential neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital.

The US embassy said they had been working for a building contracting firm based in the United Arab Emirates.

The Briton has been named as Kenneth Bigley and his US colleagues - Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong.

The US embassy said it had a team assigned to the case and the UK Foreign Office said all efforts were being made to find Mr Bigley.

The family of Mr Bigley, 62, has appealed for his release.

"It's hard to understand why Ken would be targeted in this way but we would appeal to those who have taken him to please return him safely to us," it said in a statement issued through the UK government.

Kidnaps mushroom

The kidnappings bring the known number of foreigners held in Iraq to 19.

The three men abducted on Thursday have been working for Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services - a general services and construction contractor.

Fighters waging a 17-month insurgency in Iraq have kidnapped more than 100 foreigners in a bid to destabilise the interim government and drive foreign troops from the country.

Militants who have seized foreigners have usually demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.

Last week two female Italian aid workers were kidnapped and two French journalists were seized on 20 August.

Many civilians from many nationalities have been seized. Most have been freed after successful mediation efforts although some have been killed by their captors.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3667492.stm

[Talon]

Well they've just got news on them:

Militants have threatened to kill three Western hostages unless all female Iraqi prisoners are set free, according to a video shown by al-Jazeera TV.

The three men, who were kidnapped in Baghdad this week, appear blindfolded on the video with a masked gunman.

The station said they were being held by followers of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The group says the US authorities have 48 hours to release Iraqi women prisoners held in two Iraqi prisons or it will kill the hostages.

It is not clear when the video was made or how it came into al-Jazeera's possession.

The three men - Briton Kenneth Bigley, and his US colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong - were abducted at dawn on Thursday from a house they shared in the capital.

In the video shown by the Qatar-based satellite TV channel , the hostages, sitting in front of a masked gunman, appear to be giving details of who they are while their abductors' demands are made.

They had been working as engineers for a building contracting firm based in the United Arab Emirates.

All three men's families have already appealed for their safe release.

The US embassy said it had a team assigned to the case and the UK Foreign Office said all efforts were being made to find Mr Bigley.

Fighters waging a 17-month insurgency in Iraq have kidnapped more than 100 foreigners in an effort to destabilise the interim government and drive foreigners from the country.

The three men's kidnapping is the latest in a string of high-profile abductions of Westerners in Iraq.

Two French journalists were abducted almost a month ago and two female Italian aid workers, along with two of their Iraqi colleagues, were grabbed from their offices on 7 September.

Militant group

The group said to be holding the hostages, Tawheed Wal-Jihad (Unification and Holy War), wants Iraqi women in prisons at Abu Ghraib, near Baghdad, and Umm Qasr, in the south of the country, to be released.

The US government has said it holds only two women in Iraq - high-level detainees who are understood to have been part of Saddam Hussein's regime.

One of them is Rihab Rashid Taha - the woman dubbed Dr Germ for her role in developing Iraqi biological weapons, says the BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad.

The video broadcast on Saturday is the first indication of who might have abducted the three men.

Tawheed Wal-Jihad is led by Abu Musab Zarqawi, an ally of al-Qaeda who the Americans say is behind much of the violence in Iraq.

The US has offered a $25m reward for his capture.

The group has claimed responsibility for many attacks in Iraq, including the kidnapping of foreign workers and suicide bombings that have killed Iraqi officials.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3668172.stm

[Talon]

FEARS GROW FOR HOSTAGES

Concern is growing for the fate of two Italian female aid workers being held hostage after reports emerged they had been sold to the radical Islamist group led by Abu Musab al Zarqawi.

Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both 29, were kidnapped at gunpoint in Baghdad earlier this month.

It is believed they had been taken by criminals who then sold them on to the Tawhid and Jihad Group and are now being held in the rebel Sunni-held city of Fallujah, Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid al Bayati said.

They are part of a group of four aid workers kidnapped. The other two are an Iraqi man and woman.

The aid agency they work for has released a video of them at work in the hope it will get them released.

The video tape, released by Un Ponte Per, explains that the four have treated 70,000 children and rebuilt 25 schools in Iraq.

Zarqawi, who is believed to have beheaded at least two hostages, is thought to be holding Briton Kenneth Bigley and two Americans.

Mr Bayati said the Italians' kidnappers had demanded the release of Iraqi women prisoners.

The same demand has been made by the group which has kidnapped Mr Bigley and his colleagues.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-13226010,00.html

[Talon]

Confusion over Italian hostages

The Italian government has dismissed as "unreliable" claims made on the internet that two female aid workers held hostage in Iraq have been killed.

Italian parliamentary speaker, Pierferdinando Casini, said the government was treating the claims "with total suspicion".

Two separate claims posted on the internet said the women were dead.

The women, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, and two Iraqi male colleagues were seized in Baghdad on 7 September.

In a statement posted on a little-known website, a militant group calling itself Supporters of al-Zawahri claimed to have beheaded the two women.

The same group - named after Osama Bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahri - had made an early claim of responsibility for the kidnapping, but it could not be verified.

Another web posting, from a separate militant group, the Islamic Jihad Organisation, also said it had killed the two hostages.

The women, both 29, were working for an Italian aid agency, A Bridge to Baghdad.

This is Italy's third Iraq hostage crisis. Mr Berlusconi's government been working behind the scenes to try to secure the women's release.

Diplomatic efforts

Earlier this month, two high level delegations were sent to the Middle East led by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and his deputy Margherita Boniver.

Opposition parties in Italy agreed to work with the government to try to secure the release of the women. Correspondents say that was an unprecedented show of national unity for the government.

The government was sharply criticised for not doing enough to secure the release of a journalist, Enzo Baldoni, who was killed in Iraq in August.

In April, four Italian security guards were kidnapped and one of them was shot dead.

More than 100 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since March 2003. Most have been freed, but at least 27 have been killed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3683022.stm

[Talon]

Kidnapped Iranian diplomat freed

An Iranian diplomat who was kidnapped in Iraq in early August has been freed.

Fereidoun Jahani arrived at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad on Monday afternoon, embassy officials said.

He was abducted as he travelled from Baghdad to the Shia Muslim holy city of Karbala, in central Iraq, where he had been due to start work as the consul.

Meanwhile, Paul Bigley, the brother of British hostage Ken Bigley says he has new information to say his brother is still alive.

Talks

Iran's foreign ministry said Mr Jahani was released after persistent diplomatic efforts and with the help of the Iraqi interim government.

"Through talks with my kidnappers, they were convinced it was not Iran's intention to interfere in their state matters... therefore they released me," Mr Jahani was quoted as saying by Iran's state television who interviewed him in Baghdad.

Officials said Mr Jahani was in good health.

"Let him rest a little and we can answer all your questions," said one official, who declined to be named.

Mr Jahani was the second foreign diplomat to be taken hostage in Iraq. In July, an Egyptian embassy official was held for three days by a group calling itself the Lions of Allah Brigade. The release follows a period of tension between Baghdad and Tehran.

Some members of the Iraqi interim government have accused Iran of interfering in Iraqi affairs and of causing trouble in Najaf.

Iran denies all the charges and has always stated it is striving for a stable and secure Iraq.

A high-ranking Iraqi political delegation visited Iran at the end of August in what was seen as a fence-mending exercise designed to pave the way for a later visit by Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

Foreigners targeted

Mr Jahani was kidnapped on 4 August. Days later, a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq released a video showing Mr Jahani's passport and business card.

The group accused Iran of interfering in Iraq's affairs, but it did not make any demands or threats.

More recently, the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says the group threatened to kill Mr Jahani if Iran did not release 500 prisoners it said had been held since the Iran-Iraq war, which ended 16 years ago.

Iran denied it was still holding the prisoners.

The same militant group has said it is holding two French journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot.

More than 100 foreigners have been seized since March 2003. Most have been freed but at least 27 have been killed, including two American engineers abducted with Mr Bigley on 16 September.

A much greater number of Iraqis have also been kidnapped - in most cases for ransom.

Foreign hostages still being held include two female Italian aid workers and six Egyptian civilians working for a mobile phone company.

On Monday, Jordan's King Abdullah told an Italian newspaper he believed Italians Simona Torretta and Simona Pari were alive.

The king, who is scheduled to visit Italy on Tuesday, told Corriere della Sera that Jordan was working with Italy to secure their release.

"The information that I have, at this moment, is that both the hostages are alive," King Abdullah told the newspaper.

"With the help of intelligence, we are trying to trying to locate them, and we are using all our contacts with leaders and groups within Iraq to obtain their release."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3694236.stm

[Talon]

Indonesia confirms Iraq abduction

Indonesia has confirmed that two of its nationals are among 10 people seized by rebels in Iraq on Thursday.

A foreign ministry spokesman said the two women were from Jakarta.

A video aired on Arabic TV station al-Jazeera showed some of the hostages being paraded by a group named as the Islamic Army in Iraq.

The group said the two Indonesians - along with two Lebanese and six Iraqis who were also captured - worked for an electricity firm.

"We can confirm there are two Indonesian women being held in Iraq," foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said.

"We are trying to ascertain why they are in Iraq. We have no knowledge right now of who the captors are, and we have not received any demands for their release."

He identified the women as Rosidah and Fafikan.

Al-Jazeera video

Four of the captives - all men, flanked by masked gunmen - were initially shown in the video by al-Jazeera.

The Qatar-based channel later aired more footage showing the two women.

"An armed group calling itself 'Islamic Army in Iraq - Western Region Command' has circulated a videotape in which it announced that it is holding 10 hostages," al-Jazeera said.

A Lebanese foreign ministry official confirmed that two Lebanese nationals had been kidnapped in Iraq.

It is not immediately clear if the militants form part of the same group which said it seized two French journalists last month.

More than 100 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq since April, including UK engineer Kenneth Bigley.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...fic/3706028.stm

[Talon]

Ah, the original article

'Ten hostages captured' in Iraq

A militant group is claiming to have seized 10 new hostages in Iraq, according to footage shown on the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera.

The group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq says the two Indonesian women, six Iraqis and two Lebanese work for an electronics firm.

There was no mention of any demands, or when or where the hostages were taken.

Meanwhile, another Lebanese hostage has been released by his captors, a Lebanese official in Baghdad said.

The charge d'affaires at the Lebanese embassy in Baghdad, Hassan Hijazi, said Imad Basila was free and "in good health".

More than 100 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq since April, including UK engineer Kenneth Bigley.

Iraq's Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said it was "repugnant to take an innocent man such as Kenneth Bigley and to use him as a political pawn in this way".

In a speech at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies he also chided the media for giving publicity to the hostage-takers.

"We should all be asking if, by doing this, we not only make it not only harder to resolve the cases we deal with today, but invite more cases for tomorrow," Mr Allawi said.

On Thursday, the British government again ruled out any negotiations with the group holding Mr Bigley, who was taken hostage two weeks ago.

The comments came a day after the release of a video showing Mr Bigley caged, and again pleading for help from Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He is being held by Tawhid and Jihad, a hardline group which beheaded two Americans kidnapped with him.

No demands

"An armed group calling itself 'Islamic Army in Iraq - Western Region Command' has circulated a videotape in which it announced that it is holding 10 hostages," al-Jazeera said.

The video showed only three men - one flanked by two masked gunmen.

A Lebanese foreign ministry official told the Associated Press news agency that two Lebanese nationals had been kidnapped in Iraq.

It is not known whether the two are the same as those mentioned in the footage.

Indonesia is still investigating the reports, officials said.

"We have yet to confirm the credibility of this report but we surely will conduct a follow up query on this matter," foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told AFP news agency.

It is not immediately clear if the militants form part of the same group - Islamic Army in Iraq - which claimed responsibility for seizing two French journalists last month.

Their kidnappers originally demanded the repeal of a French law banning the wearing of Muslim headscarves in government schools.

They have reportedly since demanded a ransom.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3703422.stm