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Japanese south koreans kidnapped by iraqis { April 8 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=cd943048-368c-4dba-8bd8-ccb821229678http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=cd943048-368c-4dba-8bd8-ccb821229678
Shiites control parts of 3 cities; Japanese, South Koreans kidnapped
LEE KEATH
Canadian Press
Thursday, April 08, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Shiite Muslim militias held partial control Thursday over two southern Iraqi cities, the top U.S. general in Iraq said, while Sunni insurgents killed a U.S. Marine in the battle for Fallujah. In escalating violence, gunmen kidnapped three Japanese and eight South Korean civilians.
In a videotape aired on Al-Jazeera television, armed militants threatened to kill the blindfolded Japanese hostages unless Tokyo withdrew its troops from Iraq.
Three explosions rocked central Baghdad, with smoke rising from the Green Zone - the sealed-off neighborhood where the U.S.-led coalition has its headquarters. The military did not immediately report casualties.
Iraq's interior minister, who leads police and security forces, resigned at the request of top U.S. administrator, L. Paul Bremer, to maintain balance between Sunni and Shiite factions on the governing council. It was unclear if his resignation was also connected with the failure of Iraqi police to confront insurgents that coalition forces are battling on two fronts.
- Three Japanese civilians and eight South Koreans were kidnapped in Iraq on Thursday, according to media reports.
The Arabic TV station al-Jazeera aired video showing two Japanese men and one woman who were blindfolded. It reported that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the hostages unless Japan withdrew its forces from southern Iraq.
The South Koreans were detained by unidentified "armed men," but one was later released, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unnamed Foreign Ministry official in Seoul. The report gave no further details.
The Foreign Ministry told The Associated Press it did not know who was responsible for the capture of the South Koreans.
The abductions dramatically raises pressure on the governments of Japan and South Korea, which have both gone against strong public opinion in their respective countries over their involvement in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
In Tokyo, lawmakers said the Japanese were kidnapped by a terrorist-related group, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo.
A videotape aired by Al-Jazeera and shown by Japan's NHK television showed three Japanese identified as two journalists and an aid worker.
The Japanese were blindfolded and surrounded by gunmen. The video showed the hostages' passports, confirming their nationality.
Japan has sent several hundred ground troops to Iraq on a noncombat mission to help rebuild the country.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been one of the strongest backers of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, a stance that has raised concern Japanese troops could be targeted by insurgents in that country.
The Japanese were taken by a group identifying itself as the "Mujahedeen Squadrons," which Al-Jazeera said gave a three-day ultimatum for Japan to announce it will withdraw its troops or they would be killed.
"Three of your sons have fallen into our hands," the Al-Jazeera announcer said, quoting a statement he said came with the video tape. "We offer you two choices: either pull out your forces, or we will burn them alive. We give you three days starting the day this tape is broadcast."
South Korea plans to deploy 3,600 troops to Iraq, but the deteriorating situation in Iraq has rattled the South Korean public in recent days.
© The Canadian Press 2004
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