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German Woman Believed Kidnapped in Iraq
A German citizen likely was kidnapped in Iraq, Germany's chancellor said Tuesday, and a television station broadcast photos that appear to show the blindfolded woman with her captors. Germany's ARD television said the pictures were taken from a video in which her captors demanded that Germany stop any dealings with Iraq's government. Germany has ruled out sending troops to Iraq and opposed the U.S.-led war.Susanne Osthoff and her driver have been missing since Friday and "according to current information we have to assume it is a kidnapping," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin. Osthoff's mother, identified only as Ingrid H., told Germany N24 news station that her daughter is an archaeologist working for a German aid organization distributing medicine and medical supplies since before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. ARD reported that the woman speaks fluent Arabic. Separately, the aid group Christian Peacemaker Teams confirmed in a statement Tuesday that four people from the group had been taken hostage on Saturday and that Norman Kember, a 74-year-old Briton, was among them. The group said it has had a team in Iraq since October 2002, working with U.S. and Iraqi detainees and training others in nonviolent intervention and human rights documentation. Kember and another person were part of a visiting delegation, while two of the group's staff based in Iraq were also taken, the statement said. The group said it would not identify the other three people taken hostage, but stressed that it worked on behalf of Iraqi civilians. "The team's work has focused on documenting and focusing public attention on detainee abuses, connecting citizens of Iraq to local and international human rights organizations, and accompanying Iraqi civilians as they interact with multinational military personnel and Iraq's government officials," the group said. The statement said those taken hostage knew the risks when they went into Iraq. The organization said it "does not advocate the use of violent force to save our lives should we be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of a conflict situation." Posted by: ed 2005-11-29 |
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