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Al-Jazeera airs tape of weeping aid worker
Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped director of CARE International in Iraq, appeared on a videotape aired Friday, weeping and pleading with British Prime Minister Tony Blairto withdraw troops from Iraq "and not bring them to Baghdad" because "this might be my last hour. Please help me," a haggard and terrified Hassan begged in the video, aired by the Arabic television station Al-Jazeera. "This might be my last hour. Please help me." Hassan — an Irish-British-Iraqi national who has been doing humanitarian work in Iraq for 30 years, including distributing medicine and food — at one point broke down in tears and buried her face in a tissue. "The British people, tell Mr. Blair to take the troops out of Iraq and not bring them here to Baghdad. That's why people like myself and Mr. Bigley have been caught. Please, please, I beg of you," she said. "I dont want to die like Bigley," referring to British hostage Kenneth Bigley who was decapitated on a video posted this month on an Islamist Web site. Before his slaying, his kidnappers released two videos of Bigley pleading for Blair to act to save him. Though women have been kidnapped in Iraq's wave of abductions, none have been killed, and all have been freed unharmed. The wrenching appeal by Hassan, who was kidnapped on Tuesday in Baghdad, puts new political pressure on Blair's government, a day after it agreed to a U.S. request that it redeploy troops from the south to the Baghdad region in order to free up U.S. troops to assault insurgents. Blair's Downing Street office had no immediate comment on the video. The kidnappers — who pulled Hassan out of her car at gunpoint — have pointed in previous statements to her British citizenship. Born in Dublin, she also holds Irish citizenship and was naturalized as an Iraqi after marrying an Iraqi. In the tape, Hassan — visible from the shoulders up — stands in front of a bare wall. The tape did not include any claim of responsibility nor did it show any of the kidnappers. An editor at Al-Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the network received the tape Friday but refused to say how or where. He said the tape included only Hassan's statement. I'd like to comment on this article, but quite frankly, I'm speechless. Other than to say we must not allow these dreadful men to bully their way into power one butchery at a time. Please stand fast, Britain. Posted by: Seafarious 2004-10-22 |
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