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Iraq-Jordan
Polish woman 'kidnapped in Iraq'
2004-10-28
Militants in Iraq say they have taken hostage a Polish woman and are demanding that Poland withdraw all its troops from the country.
Thanks again, Spain
Footage showing a woman was passed to the al-Jazeera television network by a group calling itself the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Fundamentalist Brigades. The militants claim the woman, who has not been named, worked with US forces. A Polish defence ministry official said the woman did not appear to belong to any of Poland's military units in Iraq. Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski told a Polish television channel he could not verify the kidnap report but no soldiers were missing. He rejected demands for the withdrawal of Poland's 2,500 troops from Iraq, saying: "Poland is not in the business of meeting demands of hostage takers."
Good for him.
Iraqi interior ministry spokesman Adnan Abdul Rahman told the Associated Press the woman was a long-standing Iraq resident, with Iraqi citizenship, who had been abducted from her Baghdad home on Wednesday night.
Another one, like the British hostage Margaret Hassan, who had been living there a long time and thought that protected her.
He did not release her name and her voice was not audible on the tape. The militants' video shows two masked gunmen pointing a pistol at the head of a middle-aged woman with grey hair.
More brave fighters of Islam. Bastards
Posted by:Steve

#9  Well no, looks like she wasn't released. Sheesh. Rumours have it that she was working for Halliburton. In which case, she may be a genuine hostage.
The Polish Foreign Ministry asserts she was fired from the embassy for disciplinary reasons (giving Iraqis visas who should not have otherwise received them). There are suspicions she worked with Saddam's agents. Her Iraqi husband is nowhere to be found, though he worked in Poland prior to the war, and may too have been one of Saddam's henchmen.

This may be a case where she was simply used and abandoned, and now kidnapped. I'm starting to feel sorry for her and I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. For now.
Posted by: Rafael   2004-10-28 8:24:55 PM  

#8  Geez that was fast. Latest (unconfirmed) news is that she was released. This is from a local news broadcast and I haven't found separate confirmation yet (not even on Polish sites).
Posted by: Rafael   2004-10-28 6:39:56 PM  

#7  Thx Rafael! I suspected as much (and from the Brit female), but didn't want to throw out an acusation. Everybody thank Spain for their 'Leadership' when facing Islamofacism.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2004-10-28 6:00:40 PM  

#6  Keep in mind that nowadays roughly 2/3 of Poles living in Poland are solidly anti-American (I used to claim roughly 50%, but I've revised that figure recently). It wouldn't be a far stretch to suggest this woman is among the 2/3. It all depends I guess on which side of the fence her Iraqi husband is. I sense a huge payoff coming from the Polish government.

If I'm wrong on this, I hope that GROM is on the way.
Posted by: Rafael   2004-10-28 5:28:32 PM  

#5  They won't take kindly to this

Yes that's right, more than half the population is already demanding a pullout.

BTW, something smells here. This woman was an Iraqi citizen for some 30 years now. She worked for the Polish embassy in Baghdad but was fired in 1994 for (allegedly) taking bribes and working with Saddam's goons. She worked in the visa office.
Posted by: Rafael   2004-10-28 5:19:36 PM  

#4  And only if they've sensibly locked up the scissors and box cutters.
Posted by: Regnad Kcin   2004-10-28 1:42:01 PM  

#3  No, they'll "liberate" it.
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-10-28 1:41:11 PM  

#2  A proud religeon that Islam. Must take a brave warrior to kidnap two women. Next are they going to 'attack' a day care center?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2004-10-28 1:39:33 PM  

#1  The Poles don't like to be bossed around. They won't take kindly to this. : )

Posted by: ex-lib   2004-10-28 12:59:07 PM  

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