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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Filipino reported seized in Iraq |
| 2004-07-07 |
| BBC-News Wednesday, 7 July, 2004, 19:05 GMT 20:05 UK Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera has broadcast a video that purportedly shows gunmen holding a Filipino man hostage in Iraq. The video warned that he would be killed unless the Philippines withdrew its troops within 72 hours. The Philippines has about 50 military personnel in the US-led coalition. If confirmed, the seizure of the Philippines national would be the latest in a spate of kidnappings of foreigners in Iraq. Al-Jazeera showed a videotape of three gunmen and a man dressed in an orange jumpsuit kneeling in front of them. Behind them was a banner that said the group’s name was the Iraqi Islamic Army - the Khaled bin al-Waleed corps. It has not been heard of previously. The channel reported that the group had said it had already killed an Iraqi security guard accompanying the Filipino, who it said worked for a Saudi Arabian company working with US forces. The Associated Press news agency reports that the videotape displayed the hostage’s Philippines identity card, which gave his name as Hafidh Amer, suggesting he may be a Muslim. On Tuesday, al-Jazeera apparently received a video of an Egyptian truck driver taken hostage in Iraq by a group calling itself the Iraqi Legitimate Resistance. The Associated Press said it had seen the video, in which a man, who identifies himself as Alsayeid Mohammed Alsayeid Algarabawi, stands surrounded by armed, masked men. Meanwhile, there is still no news of a Lebanese-born US marine reported killed at the weekend but who is, according to his family, alive and has been freed. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |