NewsMine — war-on-terror — iraq — insurgency — 2006 — 06-jan-apr — Viewing Item

Unknown kidnapped briton freed by accident Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/15/nirq15.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/15/ixhome.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/15/nirq15.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/15/ixhome.html Briton freed as US troops stumble on kidnap hideout By Ben Sheppard (Filed: 15/01/2006) A blindfolded British hostage was rescued by chance when American soldiers discovered him during a routine raid. Phil Sands, 28, was kidnapped near Baghdad on Boxing Day and taken to a remote farmhouse. Coalition authorities were unaware that he was even missing. His dramatic rescue came on New Year's Eve when two American soldiers with flashlights on their rifles burst into the dark room where he was being held. The troops arrested everyone, including Mr Sands's translator and driver. At one point during his five-day ordeal Mr Sands was led to a deep pit and thought his captors were about to shoot him. "I assumed it was my grave." He was forced to make a video plea to Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, and feared he would share the fate of Ken Bigley, the British hostage who was murdered in Iraq in 2004. He said: "My captors saw me as a political tool and made me record a video plea. There were about 10 of them all dressed in balaclavas and carrying AK47 rifles." Mr Sands, a journalist who had visited Iraq more than a dozen times since the war began, added: "The US soldiers were not there to rescue me. They were conducting raids in that part of the country and found me blindfolded and handcuffed. I am lucky to be alive." Capt Eric Clarke, a US military spokesman, said: "This is frankly amazing. We were conducting routine safe-house raids when we discovered Mr Sands. Nobody even knew he was missing." American forces took Mr Sands to the international Green Zone in Baghdad, where he was handed over to British officials. They gave him a medical examination and organised his journey out of Iraq to Kuwait and on to Dubai. He said he was then questioned for several days by British security services who hoped to gain clues about hostages such as Norman Kember, 74, the British peace activist who remains missing after he was snatched in Baghdad with three other foreign nationals on November 26. Mr Sands had been on his way to interview Iraqi university lecturers when he was seized. He said: "Whenever I go to Iraq I try to get to the people whose lives have been really affected by what is happening." Mr Sands is now back with his family in Poole, Dorset, and has no immediate plans to return to Iraq.

130 dead in series of iraq attacks { December 2006 } 36 dead after blast in baghdad vegetable market 3800 executed in iraq first three months of 2006 65 thousand refugees flee sectarian violence 70 iraqis killed in spasm of violence { March 13 2006 } Air strikes target civilians { January 3 2006 } Apparent iraqi death squad discovered { February 17 2006 } Big assault has no contract with insurgents { March 17 2006 } Blast destroys golden dome of shiite shrine Blast hits sunni mosque in iraq Blast kills 16 near shiite mosque in baghdad Bomb explodes in crowded market Bomb kills 80 sunnis turns city against alqaeda Bombed sunni shrine is mistaken as shiite { February 24 2006 } Brits deny iran bombing allegations Cheney says iraq is not in civil war { February 2006 } Cost of war to pass 1 trillion { March 17 2006 } Fears of civil war after reprisals { February 23 2006 } Foreigners not civil war says US military Government bans traffic in baghdad Gunmen kill woman after car bomb hits sunni mosque { February 10 2006 } Gunmen posing as police kill sunnis in retaliation Insurgents posing as police attach shiite shrine { February 22 2006 } Iran says US and israel destroyed iraqi shrine Iraq abductors threaten to kill peace activists { January 29 2006 } Iraq blast kills 10 shiite leader delay parliament Iraq civil war to spread across middle east { March 19 2006 } Iraq politican blames foreign intelligence for shrine attack { February 24 2006 } Iraqis 700k christians celebrate easter Iraqis burn flag before prayer fri mar 10 2006 [jpg] Largest air assault since 2003 invasion 2006 mar Major january attacks kill 70 sunnis { January 6 2006 } Marines beat back sunni arab insurgents { March 2006 } Militants attack iraq fuel convoy Military asserts most iraq is peaceful { February 2006 } Over 100 iraqis killed in sectarian violence { February 24 2006 } Palestinians targeted in iraq Peace activist quaker slain in iraq { March 12 2006 } Police chief claims attack on alsadr to divide iraqis Political progress destabilized by another attack { March 13 2006 } Press says iraq near civil war after 68 killed Retaliation on sunnis after deliberate sectarian attempt Shiites pissed at US military raid on mosque Sister of iraqi vice president shot dead Suicide bomber kills 36 at funeral procession { January 4 2006 } Sunni chief seeks release of US reporter Sunni mosque bombed as iraqi tanks deploy in baghdad { February 27 2006 } Three explosions at shiite mosque in baghdad Troops cant find insurgents in major assault Unknown kidnapped briton freed by accident US commander says iraq crisis has passed { February 2006 } US military seizes iraqi reporter for guardian { January 9 2006 } US troops raid sunni clerical scholars group Young clerics call for american hatred { February 26 2006 } Files Listed: 54

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