Posted on 09/22/2004 5:29:43 AM PDT by veronica
The US has dismissed reports from Iraq's justice ministry that one of two female scientists held in a US-run prison was to be released.
A US source told the BBC that both prisoners were in the physical and legal custody of the Americans and would not be freed imminently.
Militants have reportedly killed two American hostages and are threatening to kill a third, Briton Kenneth Bigley.
They had demanded the release of all Iraqi women held in US-run prisons.
The US says it is only holding two women prisoners - Rihab Rashid Taha and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash - that it has no knowledge of any plan to release them.
The UK government told the BBC there was no request by anyone at any level in the government for the women to be freed.
"That would be tantamount to dealing with terrorists," a Downing Street spokesman said.
'Not a threat'
The first US hostage, American engineer Eugene Armstrong, 52, was killed on Monday and 24 hours later the group claimed to have killed a second American, Jack Hensley.
A decapitated body, thought to be that of Mr Hensley, has been found in Baghdad, but it has not been formally identified.
He said the release would be part of a review of her detention and was not linked to the kidnappers' demands.
Ms Taha is said to have carried out top-secret work during the 1980s on germs that cause botulism poisoning and anthrax infections.
The second woman, Ms Ammash, "may be released soon", the Iraqi justice ministry said.
She is a biotech researcher known as Mrs Anthrax and Chemical Sally, who was on the US military's list of the 55 most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
An Iraqi spokesman said Ms Taha was no longer considered a threat to national security.
British family's hope
The family of hostage Kenneth Bigley, 62, earlier welcomed news of the proposed prisoner release.
Profile: Tawhid and Jihad Who are the hostage takers? Hostages: Facts and figures Mr Bigley's brother Paul told BBC radio: "Hopefully they [the kidnappers] will pick this up on the media, and show that they have a gram of decency in them by releasing Ken."
The three hostages were kidnapped on Thursday by militants claiming to be from the Tawhid and Jihad group, headed by al-Qaeda suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The group claims to have killed at least six hostages in Iraq.
Gruesome video footage was released on Monday showing Mr Armstrong being killed by a masked man - said by the CIA to be Mr Zarqawi. Mr Armstrong's body was later recovered.
"The British prisoner will get the same fate if the British government doesn't do what it has to," said a statement on an Islamist website.
More than 100 foreigners have been abducted in Iraq over the past 17 months, as part of efforts to destabilise the US-backed interim government and to drive out foreign troops.
They include two French journalists who were abducted last month and two female Italian aid workers who were seized with two Iraqi colleagues on 7 September.
Tawhid and Jihad is considered to be the most ruthless of the hostage-takers.
Somebody out there is using their brains.
Very good.
I thought that control over Iraqi prisoners held in country was transferred to the Iraqi government when they took power back in June?
Someone needs to ask Kerry how he would handle this.
Boy when I heard the first reports this morning I almost freaked out. I was all like, "What! What! What!" Now I'm all like, "Whew!"
Radio here in TX is reporting at least one --Dr. Germ- will be released. Pray this is a rumor. What chaps me is that she was educated here in TX at same university in N. Texas that our children attended.
I gotta tell you, this is GOOD NEWS! I couldn't believe the reports that we were going to release her. That would be the worst thing we could possibly do. Even me being a strong Bush supporter would be wondering what gives after something stupid like caving to terrorists demands.
First, I as I have often spoken on, I would repair the damage done to our reputation with our european allies and would establish credibility at the united nations while continuing to build on that reputation, being a stronger amerika, with consensus as to our position with respect to...
The madrid rail bombing is happening to the US and our allies one hostage at a time - all to help JFK prevail and lead to our disgrace and withdrawl. I think the voters will all see this by Nov.
someone needs to tell Foxnews to update there web page ... Fox is amazingly slow on updates ....
"As I said in my speech yesterday, ..................."
bttt
Absolutely, it's obvious isn't it? So why can't some people see it? I don't know if you have seen any of these beheading videos, but it is obvious that not only is Zarqawi a terrorist and a murderer, but also a psycopath - and I mean it in the true medical sense. Such people cannot be negotiated with. I am afraid my solution for putting a stop to this is a little more brutal than most people would like - basically firestorm (think Dresen) this guy's hometown and kill his family and most of his "tribe".
Can you image the potential catastrophe that is possible if these two devils were to be released to resume making biological weapons for Islamic terrorists? Please God, don't let this happen for the sake of mankind.
Let us hope that this report is correct.
However, it appears to me that this one is based only on unnamed sources on the U.S. side; there are other reports, such as this from the Washington Times UPI feed from a spokesman for the Iraqi justice ministry:
Ministry spokesman Nour Ibrahim said Rihab Taha, known as Dr. Germ, could be released Wednesday.
I personally tend to credit named sources more than unnamed ones, though certainly "Baghdad Bob" points to the folly of always crediting named sources, particularly those in the middle East.
Zarqawi is IMPLANTING INTO HIS FEEBLE FOLLOWERS MINDS that the US is holding women in jails.
Zarqawi knows we won't give into his demands.
THIS IS A RECRUITING VIDEO!!!!
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