Posted on 03/24/2006 6:06:03 PM PST by blam
Released hostages 'refuse to help their rescuers'
By Oliver Poole in Baghdad
(Filed: 25/03/2006)
The three peace activists freed by an SAS-led coalition force after being held hostage in Iraq for four months refused to co-operate fully with an intelligence unit sent to debrief them, a security source claimed yesterday.
The claim has infuriated those searching for other hostages.
The Canadians: Harmeet Sooden and Jim Loney
Neither the men nor the Canadian group that sent them to Iraq have thanked the people who saved them in any of their public statements.
One of them, Norman Kember, 74, a retired physics professor, of Pinner, north-west London, was in Kuwait last night and was expected to return to Britain today. He is understood to have given some helpful information.
He provided details of the semi-rural area north-west of Baghdad where he was held and confirmed that his captors were criminals, rather than insurgents. Their motive was believed to be money.
The two Canadians kidnapped with Mr Kember - Harmeet Sooden, 32, and Jim Loney, 41 - were said to have been co-operative at first but less so on arriving at the British embassy in Baghdad after being given the opportunity to wash, eat and rest.
Previous hostages have been questioned on everything from what shoes their kidnappers wore to the number of mobile phones they had. The pacifist Christian Peacemaker Teams with which the men were visiting Iraq is opposed to the coalition's presence and has accused it of illegally detaining thousands of Iraqis.
Jan Benvie, 51, an Edinburgh teacher who is due to go to Iraq with the organisation this summer, said: "We make clear that if we are kidnapped we do not want there to be force or any form of violence used to release us."
Although the CPTs has welcomed the men's release, it has not thanked the rescuers in any of its statements. It blamed the kidnapping on the presence of foreign troops in the country, which was "responsible for so much pain and suffering in Iraq today".
When told how angry the coalition was feeling, Claire Evans, a spokesman for the CPTs in America, said: "We are extremely grateful to everybody who had a role leading to the men's release."
Mr Kember, in a statement through the embassy, said: "I have had the opportunity to have a shave, relax in the bath and a good English breakfast. I am very much looking forward to getting home to British soil and to being reunited with my family." He did not publicly thank his rescuers.
Tony Blair, in Brussels for an EU summit, said: "I'd like to say how pleased I am that he was released and pay tribute to the extraordinary courage, dedication and commitment of the British, American, Iraqi, Canadian and other forces that were involved."
Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the chief of the defence staff, told Channel 4 News: "I am slightly saddened that there does not seem to have been a note of gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives to save those lives."
Asked if he meant that Mr Kember had not said thank you, he said: "I hope he has and I have missed it."
It emerged that about 50 soldiers, led by the SAS, including men from 1 Bn the Parachute Regiment and the Royal Marines, as well as American and Canadian special forces, entered the kidnap building at dawn.
A deal had been struck with a man detained the previous night who was one of the leaders of the kidnappers. He was allowed a telephone call to warn his henchmen to leave the kidnap house. When the troops moved in and found the prisoners alive, they also let him go as promised.
Huh?
I guess the most important thing was to get the people out.
Who knew we were rescuing turncoats.
I see no reason whatsoever not to grant this wish. No need to put good soldiers' lives at risk to save these pieces of trash.
This is a Faustian decision to make IMHO.
Do you let terrorists kill those who do not wish to be rescued?
Do you rescue them to try and show the increased capabilites of international forces and discourage further hostage taking.
These people are lower than dirt and there is a special place in hell for them.
The SAS who risked their lives for these idiots need to take these 'peace activists' back where they found them and leave them on the side of the road. Their ordeal is starting to smell.
send them back
To put it bluntly, they and their group can stay the Hell out of Iraq.
Hopefully with a tiny GPS tracker stuck in his .... tooth.
Quickly.
Amen
well, if they don't look like a couple of peace-lovers. [smirk]
These fools were suffering from Stockholm syndrome before they ever got kidnapped.
Ransom?
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
I agree. I hope the military reconsiders putting troops at risk to help slime like this. Practically speaking, it would be better to let the criminals kill them and blame it on the insurgents.
They have chosen the route of their martyrdom. As long as they are not taking anyone down with them, why should we get in their way?
Ditto to everything you said.....I'm just so happy that no one was hurt *rescuing* these human debris...
They look like a bunch of F$%^^.
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