Four Italians, two Americans join the list of kidnapped, Japan will not be subjected.. al-Sader deplores the operation
Iraq, Politics, 4/10/2004

Japan said yesterday it will not be subjected to the demands made by the kidnappers of three of its citizens in Iraq who threated on Thursday of burning them alive in case Tokyo will not withdraw its forces from the country.

This is, however, despite the appeals made by families of the kidnapped hostages and demands by protesters to meet conditions set by gunmen to release their citizens. The Palestinian national authority called on the gunmen to release the two detainees who are from Jerusalem, while Israel alienated itself from the case saying that the two kidnapped do not carry the Israeli nationality.

In a new development, armed men in Iraq said that four Italians and two Americans were held at the western outskirts of Baghdad yesterday. American soldiers in a tank said in the area near al-Zahab al-Abyad village they know actually that several Americans were kidnapped and gave no other details. Gunmen said they kidnapped four Italians. They aded they kidnapped the Americans in a separate incident. But the commander of the Italian forces in Iraq told the RAI TV station that he has no information on kidnapping any of his elements.

The representative of Muqtada al-Sader in al-Sader city, Amer al-Husseini denied that supporters for al-Sader had kidnapped the three Japanese. He said " we condemn these acts and call on the God almighty to release them." The Palestinian authority called for the release of the two citizens of Jerusalem who were kidnapped by gunmen in Iraq. A statement by the Palestinian Presidency said that "Yasser Arafat made contacts with our brothers in Iraq and other international commission and friends today to help in releasing the two Palestinian hostages George Razzouk and Ahmad Yassin Taqati detained in Iraq."

In Toronto, the spokesman for the Canadian foreign ministry, Sameer Ahmad, said that Ihsan Muhammad Fadel, A Canadian of Syrian origin, was working for " International Rescue Committee " a humanitarian organization when he was kidnapped in Iraq. The spokesman said " we seek at the meantime to get other information on the situation and we do hope he will be released shortly." He added that the "mass media said at the beginning that Fadi Ihsan Fadel is an Israeli Arab but these information are not precise." Ahmad explained that Taqani, his real name is Ihsan Muhammad Fadel, a Canadian of Syrian origin was working for the humanitarian " International Rescue Committee."

In Tokyo, the Japanese prime minister, who presided over an urgent session for his government in Tokyo deplored the threats made by the kidnappers and dsecribed it as "cowardly." He stressed that his forces will remain in Iraq despite appeals made by families of the hostages held and demands by protesters to meet the conditions of the gunmen in order to release their citizens.

Southern Korea renewed its commitment to send more than 3,000 additional troops to Iraq despite the kidnapping operation against its citizens.

Previous Stories:
  A Sunni- Shiite Unity in solidarity with al-Falouja, five Americans were killed occupation: we have lost control on Kout; al-Najaf and central Karbala   (4/9/2004)
  Independent: Saddam Hussein is in Qatar   (4/8/2004)
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