A peace group blamed the US and Britain yesterday for the abduction of four activists shown in an insurgent video, saying the kidnapping was the direct result of the occupation of Iraq.
Meanwhile, in the central town of Baquba, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a minibus early yesterday, killing nine construction workers and wounding two others, the Diyala police said in a statement.
After a hiatus in the kidnapping of foreigners, TV footage on Tuesday once again showed Westerners held captive: a German archaeologist -- bound and blindfolded -- knelt among masked gunmen in one video and four frightened peace activists were shown in another blurry tape.
PHOTO: AP
The latest attacks are part of a new wave of kidnappings police fear is aimed at disrupting next month's national elections.
Christian Peacemaker Teams, a group that has had activists in Iraq since October 2002, said it was saddened by the video tape of their workers, who the statement said were working against the occupation of Iraq.
"We are angry because what has happened to our teammates is the result of the actions of the US and UK governments due to the illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression of its people," the group said.
The group listed the names of those abducted as Tom Fox, an American; Norman Kember, from Britain; and James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, both of Canada.
"We are some of the few internationals left in Iraq who are telling the truth about what is happening to the Iraqi people," the statement said.
"We hope that we can continue to do this work and we pray for the speedy release of our beloved teammates," it added.
On Tuesday, al-Jazeera broadcast video of the four men held by a previously unknown group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade.
The group claimed they were spies working under the cover of Christian peace activists.
Loney, a community worker, was leading the Christian group's delegation in Iraq.
The tape was shown the same day a TV station displayed a photo of the German hostage, Susanne Osthoff.
The kidnappers threatened to kill Osthoff and her Iraqi driver unless Germany halts all contacts with the Iraqi government.
Osthoff and her driver were kidnapped on Friday.
Germany has ruled out sending troops to Iraq and opposed the US-led war, but has been training Iraqi police and military outside the country.
Iraq was swept by a wave of kidnappings and beheadings of foreigners last year and early this year, but such attacks have dropped off in recent months as many Western groups have left and security precautions for those who remain have tightened.
Insurgents, including al-Qaeda in Iraq, have seized more than 225 people, killing at least 38.
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei Province late last month. When reviewing the photographs, he saw something he had not noticed before: A mountain shaped like a dog’s head rested on the ground next to the Yangtze River, its snout perched at the water’s edge. “It was so magical and cute. I was so excited and happy when I discovered it,” Guo said.
TURNAROUND: The Liberal Party had trailed the Conservatives by a wide margin, but that was before Trump threatened to make Canada the US’ 51st state Canada’s ruling Liberals, who a few weeks ago looked certain to lose an election this year, are mounting a major comeback amid the threat of US tariffs and are tied with their rival Conservatives, according to three new polls. An Ipsos survey released late on Tuesday showed that the left-leaning Liberals have 38 percent public support and the official opposition center-right Conservatives have 36 percent. The Liberals have overturned a 26-point deficit in six weeks, and run advertisements comparing the Conservative leader to Trump. The Conservative strategy had long been to attack unpopular Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but last month he
Chinese authorities said they began live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday, only days after Vietnam announced a new line marking what it considers its territory in the body of water between the nations. The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said the exercises would be focused on the Beibu Gulf area, closer to the Chinese side of the Gulf of Tonkin, and would run until tomorrow evening. It gave no further details, but the drills follow an announcement last week by Vietnam establishing a baseline used to calculate the width of its territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. State-run Vietnam News
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
RSS