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| Iraq-Jordan |
| 2nd Strike! Official: Philippines Withdrawing Troops 'as Soon as Possible' |
| 2004-07-13 |
| Who is going to cave in next...with a Strike Out....to Terrorist Inc.? BAGHDAD, Iraq — Pleading for the life of a truck driver held hostage in Iraq, Philippine Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Rafael Seguis said the country would withdraw its troops "as soon as possible." Seguis' appeal to the group holding Angelo dela Cruz, 46, was aired on Arab-language television network Al-Jazeera on Tuesday morning Iraq time. But he did not elaborate on whether the Philippines would move up their scheduled Aug. 20 pullout from Iraq, saying only the move would come according to the government's commitments. It appeared the statement may have been deliberately ambiguous in a bid to save dela Cruz. "I appeal to you and to your kind hearts as Muslims to please release Angelo dela Cruz so that he can return to his family and children," Sequis said from Baghdad. Seguis spoke after the kidnappers issued a statement at that gave Manila until 3 p.m. EDT Monday to respond. That deadline passed with no indication on his fate. The militant group, the Iraqi Islamic Army-Khaled bin Al-Waleed Corps (search), had initially said they would kill dela Cruz by Sunday if the Philippines did not agree to pull out its 51-member peacekeeping force one month earlier than planned. Earlier on Monday, the Philippines announced that the kidnappers had extended their deadline to 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday. But in a videotape and statement broadcast by Al-Jazeera, the group said it was only extending the deadline to 3 p.m. EDT Monday. Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas had earlier expressed hope for dela Cruz's release as she visited Dubai, where she was accompanying his wife and brother as they traveled to Amman, Jordan. "This is a time when hope and optimism are particularly important to all of us," she said. "The wife and brother of Angelo are in high spirits." Dela Cruz's wife, Arsenia, said, "Let us not stop, let us not lose hope." Dela Cruz was snatched Wednesday. The Philippines' announcement Saturday that it would pull out its 51-strong contingent on Aug. 20, when its current mandate ends, did not satisfy his captors, who issued a statement Sunday demanding the withdrawal be moved up to July 20. In the videotape, dela Cruz, while pleading to be spared, also asked that his body be sent to the Philippines for burial should he be killed. He appeared to wearing an orange garment similar to those worn by two other hostages who have been beheaded: American Nicholas Berg and South Korean Kim Sun-il. The militants' statement said they had done everything in their power to prove they had wanted to spare his life. Recognizing the fine line that Manila was taking to obtain dela Cruz's release while remaining one of Washington's closest supporters, U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone earlier expressed support for Arroyo. "It's a tough crisis and leaders are called upon in a crisis to do hard things, and she has stood up and she's shown a deep, deep care for this hostage but also careful of the country's long-term interests," he told ABS-CBN TV. But Arroyo's handling of the crisis has also drawn criticism. About 400 protesters marched to the presidential palace Monday to demand the withdrawal of Filipino troops from Iraq, but were turned back by riot police using truncheons and shields. Iraqi militants have repeatedly used terrorist attacks to try to force governments to withdraw from the U.S.-led occupation force. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #30 Tempting as it might seem, we cannot abandon the Philippines' 80m people to Islam or to China. We must continue to deny the Filipino population, the location and the resources of the Philippine islands to the enemy. We colonized the Philippines all those years ago to prevent other powers from establishing a stranglehold in the area. Today, we must safeguard Filipino sovereignty to prevent the expansion of either Muslim or Chinese empire. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-07-13 11:33:02 PM |
| #29 Check out this reprint "The new Islamic fascism" |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-07-13 7:06:44 PM |
| #28 Must read Wretchard re: the price we paid in blood to help them. |
| Posted by: Anonymous5738 2004-07-13 3:24:02 PM |
| #27 I wonder how you say "pussies" in Tagalog? If The Phillipines takes their 51 soldiers and sends them home to hunt Abu Sayyef, MILF and JI types, then this is no loss, especially since 30 more Aussies are being sent to Iraq. I would take 30 Aussies over 500 Filipinos any day. Hopefully, Arroyo will allow our SF types to help the army hunt for the bad guys despite this total wuss move. |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-07-13 12:43:03 PM |
| #26 It's true. Using the ransom money, Abu Sayaf grew from the low 100s to 3000 overnight and an urban bombing campaign was launched. Kidnapping subsequently increased, including the two Burnham missionaries. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-07-13 12:12:18 PM |
| #25 Bowing down to the demands of hostage takers in Iraq is just the tip of the iceberg. I was reading somewhere yesterday of the HUGE amounts of ransoms paid to home grown terrorists and hostage takers for kidnapped victims in the Phillipines. Especially from Europeans kidnapped at some dive resort, to the tune of $1 million per person. You make a stand now or you make a last, despairate stand when it is too late. The Phillipine government has failed its people. This is bad news, but there will be alot of storms before we see the sun again. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-07-13 12:03:21 PM |
| #24 Just sent this to the embassy. If you bow down to the terrorist in Iraq,then you might as well give-up and let the MLF and other terrorist take over in the Philippines.Removing your troops from Iraq because of the actions of terrorist is tantamount to cowardice.The chicken hearted running from Iraq will cause me to re-think America's commitment to the support of the Freedom of the Philippines.You will have proved that you are not worthy of the sacrifice of one American life,and certainly do not deserve in financial support from America. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-07-13 11:00:01 AM |
| #23 That's chance not change. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-07-13 10:58:25 AM |
| #22 I'm into seeing modern, western, liberal, freethinking, moral, scientific, republican democracy beat or destroy rote mezmerized stonemen. Well the Eloy don't have a change if they don't fight back. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-07-13 10:54:00 AM |
| #21 11A5S,forgot to add.That would be "Sun Zu's The Art of War".Sun Zu was a Chinnies warrior/philosipher/poet about2,500 years ago.His teachings are still taught at military acadmeys now. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-07-13 10:44:39 AM |
| #20 I just sent an email to their embassy here in Wash DC. "How does it feel to cower? How does it feel to hang your head in shame? How does it feel to run from your enemies? How does it feel that that the Filipino people are not strong enough to face evil?" Here is their email address if you want to add to it. wdcpe@aol.com |
| Posted by: JackAssFestival 2004-07-13 9:55:19 AM |
| #19 Let's wait and see if the Filipinos really to withdraw. If so, then the US should withdraw all help in fighting their own Muslim guerrillas. They will have shown they are not worth one US soldier's life and not one dollar of US taxpayer's money. Help and friendship is a two way street. Let's see how many lives and how much territory the Filipinos will then piss away. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-07-13 9:44:12 AM |
| #18 Disgraceful announcement from Philippine govt (via Belmont Club): Al Jazeera broadcast footage of Philippine deputy foreign minister Rafael Seguis reading out a statement, which the television station translated into Arabic, shortly after the expiry of a new execution deadline set by the militants. "In response to your request, the Philippines ... will withdraw its humanitarian forces as soon as possible," Seguis said according to the translation of the statement, addressed to the Islamic Army in Iraq group holding 46-year-old de la Cruz. "I hope the statement that I read will touch the heart of this group," said Seguis. "We know that Islam is the religion of peace and mercy." |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-07-13 9:22:47 AM |
| #17 It seems to be easier to beat the Philipines than Spain. And that's saying something. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-07-13 9:02:09 AM |
| #16 How much will this encourage their homegrown Jihadi boys to turn it up a couple of notches? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-07-13 8:58:26 AM |
| #15 1781,when the Phillpine army was battling its homegrown and imported Islamic terrorists on its own they were getting thier ass whipped.They didn't start making headway until the Phillipine government asked the U.S. for logistical and training help from U.S. Special Forces.All that this turn tail and run appeasment is going to do is give the MLF a huge boost. The best thing the Phillipine government could have done is ask for 5,000 member volunter force of PI military whose only mission in Iraq is to hunt down and kill(not capture,kill)terrorist wereever they are found.This should be announced far,wide and loud.Put the fear of God in thier sick ass'. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-07-13 8:41:34 AM |
| #14 Give the embassy a call and ask them how it feels to be a coward. (202) 467 9300 Philipines Embassy- Wash DC. email wdcpe@aol.com |
| Posted by: JackAssFestival 2004-07-13 8:16:53 AM |
| #13 Long Haired friend, Yep! If you look into the crystal ball what you see is an accamodation, that isnt accamodatious, or a confrontation. I'm into seeing modern, western, liberal, freethinking, moral, scientific, republican democracy beat or destroy rote mezmerized stonemen. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-07-13 3:21:20 AM |
| #12 Phil F, your are right on the money! Anon 1781, If the government of the Philippines really cared for his people, it would never allow them to work anywhere in the Middle East, specially in Saudi Arabia. Here, when they are not being treated like slaves, they are being decapitated. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4617 2004-07-13 3:11:25 AM |
| #11 Pay the Danegeld, you'll never be rid of the Dane. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-07-13 2:56:08 AM |
| #10 Phil F - You are on to it! At this point and time, make Mecca Radio active and all of Islam will succumb. They will have nothing and will realize they are beaten, at least for another 1000 years. It could be just that simple. |
| Posted by: Long Hair Republican 2004-07-13 1:39:20 AM |
| #9 Zhang, you haven't noticed the real story; the dog that isn't barking, AFAICT, is that the government in the Philipines hasn't started pulling its workers out of Saudi Arabia, in spite of the fact that the jihadis have already killed several Filipinos there, and may kill more. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2004-07-13 1:25:53 AM |
| #8 A1781: Filipino government has proven that it really cares about its citizens regardless of the US threat to halt finical aids if it withdrew forces. Actually, it has proven that it cares about one high-profile hostage in Iraq, but not about the greater danger to thousands in the Philippines when the US does withdraw both its financial and military assistance. Then the Filipino military can face the Chinese, the Malaysians, the Indonesians and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front all by its lonesome. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-07-13 1:16:45 AM |
| #7 Anonymous1781 ...with a remark such as that, you should indeed remain very anonymous to all thinking people, living in the real world. You actually buy into appeasing Islamic terrorists as a meaningful method which will simply stop their obsession with total global jihad? |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-07-13 1:12:23 AM |
| #6 "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy halts, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue." Some Chinese dude said this once. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2004-07-13 1:10:08 AM |
| #5 A1781 - It's not about aid from the US, it's about facing the Izzoids. You can cower - or you can stand up and fight. Of course Arroyo cares about Filipino citizens -- and voters. Does she care about the fact that once you kow-tow you move UP, not down, the target list? We'll see. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-13 12:59:10 AM |
| #4 Filipino government has proven that it really cares about its citizens regardless of the US threat to halt finical aids if it withdrew forces. |
| Posted by: Anonymous1781 2004-07-13 12:55:06 AM |
| #3 Long, it's the first I heard of that particular web-site, but I shall check it out, thanks. |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-07-13 12:48:44 AM |
| #2 I don't know how many of you know this but Victor Mordecai predicted 911, he also predicted this with the Pill-a-pino's Scary You have to read his spew.... |
| Posted by: Long Hair Republican 2004-07-13 12:39:27 AM |
| #1 "A senior Philippine official said the timetable for the pullout of the small contingent remained unchanged, despite a suggestion by Deputy Foreign Secretary Rafael Seguis late Monday that the process could be speeded up." Link |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-13 12:31:50 AM |