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Loser sheikh throws temper tantrum
THE "stupid action" of military forces who raided the Iraq house where Douglas Wood was found had risked the lives of two Iraqi hostages, Australia's Islamic spiritual leader said today. Australian Mufti Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilaly returned to Sydney today from his Middle East mission to try to secure the 63-year-old engineer's release. Sheik al-Hilaly's arrival in Sydney this morning coincided with Mr Wood touching down in Melbourne.

Mr Wood was released last week when Iraqi and American troops on a general sweep-and-cordon operation in Baghdad were tipped off to a house of interest where the Australian was found, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
They weren't tipped off it was a random, accidental find. Howard is still trying to diplomatically brownose the sheik. Why? And why the backflip on illegal immigrants?
At a Sydney mosque today, Sheikh al-Hilali told of his concern for two Iraqi hostages – one of whom was Mr Wood's driver. He said both men, known only as Farris and Adel, had families and were still in grave danger.

Reports last week said the troops who freed Mr Wood had also found another hostage, a 19-year-old Iraqi identified as Rasool.

Sheikh al-Hilaly was critical of the military operation in Baghdad and said Mr Wood had been close to being released anyway. He said the raid had endangered the lives of the other two hostages. "The stupid action that was taken last week has exposed the fathers of these families to death," he said in Arabic, translated by his spokesman Keysar Trad.
"And besides, I got no credit!"
"There's a 90 per cent chance they will not be released."
For behold I am the master expert of percentages
If military forces had only delayed their actions, the two Iraqi nationals might also have been freed, he said. "If they waited 12 hours everything would have worked out all right," he said.
Just like last time i told you Wood would be freed... weeks ago, you remember?
The sheik said he could have secured Mr Wood's release within the first week of his arrival in Iraq but had held off to try to also secure the release of the other two Iraqis. "It was within my reach, it was almost possible to free him (Douglas Wood) in the first week ...," he said.
"You need me no really you do! It is better to have my help than the military.. no really believe me!"
"I coulda been a contenda!"
Sheik al-Hilaly said he had co-ordinated his actions with those of the head of Australia's emergency response team, Nick Warner, whom he said had been advised "step by step" and knew of Mr Wood's imminent release. "We had reached an agreement that somebody would contact Mr Warner and tell him that Mr Wood would be taken to the Babel Hotel and from there he could be taken to the Australian embassy," he said.

But military forces had wrongly used the information that had been supplied, he said. "As I see it, the Iraqi forces were going for one thing and they discovered something else and they handed Mr Wood over to the Americans," he said. "Like someone who goes fishing, he puts his fish in a bucket – next thing someone comes and takes it from behind his back."
That's my fish give it back baggins... Baggins.. we hates it ! my precious... my victory... i'm important... allah allah
The sheik said he had wanted to avoid the raid and secure Mr Wood's release in a more "civilised and peaceful" way than had occurred.
For behold i am the master of CIVilisation... Fatima be silent or I'll beat you with this stick ... it is the will of allah.
Posted by: anon1 2005-06-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=122090