September 09, 2005

Freed Hostage Roy Hallums Heading Home

Roy Hallums, the American civilian held hostage in Iraq freed two days ago by Coalition Forces, is heading home to the United States.

The AP is reporting that Roy boarded a C-17 transport plane at a US Air Force base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad. Sources tell the Jawa Report that Roy will be landing soon and that the Hallums family will meet privately with Roy. In deference to the family's privacy, we will not reveal the location of this reunion.

Roy is said to be in good health, given the extreme conditions he has endured since Nov. 1st of 2004 when he was abducted from his Baghdad neigborhood with other civilian contractors.

A friend of Roy's from Baghdad, 'Hussein', possibly the last man to see him before he was taken hostage, told the following to the BBC upon learning of Roy's release. A friend from the FBI called him and said, "Sit down and don't cry. We have Roy. He is alive."

"No-one seemed to mention him or to care. It's so unfair." He continued.

We at The Jawa Report, at least, cared.

Speaking of what Robert Tarangoy, the Filipino contractor taken hostage with Roy and released several months ago on rumors that Manila had paid a ransom, had been through, Hussein infered what conditions might have been like for Roy.

"He still has to wear sunglasses, even at night, because they kept [Tarangoy] in a hood for eight months while in captivity.

They used him as a punching bag the whole time, every time they [kidnappers] walked past him they'd kick him, or punch him and slap him."

'Hussein', who's name has been changed, says that Roy Hallums' kidnappers had not made contact in the past month and that worries began to mount.