January 05, 2012

How civilized of them:

The Iraqi militia that kidnapped five Britons in 2007 has said it will hand over the body of the last missing man, who it said was "killed in a clash".

UK authorities had suspected Alan McMenemy, from Glasgow, was dead.

The bodies of fellow security guards Jason Creswell, 39, of Glasgow, Jason Swindlehurst, 38, of Lancashire, and Alec MacLachlan, 30, of Carmarthenshire, were released in 2009. The men were kidnapped on 29 May 2007, from the ministry of finance in Baghdad where Mr Moore was working on a new IT system under the protection of the private security guards....

They were overpowered and taken hostage by a group of 50 to 100 armed men who entered the building that morning disguised in police and military uniforms.

Mr Swindlehurst, Mr MacLachlan and Mr Creswell were later shot dead by their captors and their bodies taken to police stations in Baghdad in 2009.

December 15, 2011

As we have taken down our flag in Iraq and all our soldiers are expected home before the end of the year. I feel I must take time out to remember those who won't be coming home.

One of the reasons I started blogging here with Rusty was the issue of hostages or missing people in Iraq. Some of the stories we worked so hard to publicize and follow ended horrifically, some ended happily but some never ended. Either their fates are unknown or their bodies were never recovered.

Through information requests and requests for help we grew to know some of the families of these folks. There was great joy when one would return and we loved sharing this and feeling that we were at least of some help.

Two of those missing I have followed closely myself and feel a special need to remember.

One is Jeffery Ake who's fate is still unknown. The other is Major Troy Gilbert who died when his plane crashed engaging the enemy. His body has never been recovered. .

The others still missing are Aban Elias, Abbas Kareem Naama, Neenus Khoshaba, Bob Hamze, Dean Sadek, Hussain al-Zurufi and Staff Sgt. Ahmed Altaie.

I pray the Lord continue to comfort and bless their families. We will never forget you.

If anyone knows of anyone still missing or not recovered that is not mentioned here and you would like them to be remembered here. Please email Howie at mchlhwrd(at)gmail(dot)com.

December 12, 2011

CNN:

A 14-year-old Filipino-American boy abducted in July by suspected Islamic militants in the Philippines is free, officials said.

Kevin Lunsmann was reunited with his mother, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said Monday, without offering additional details.

...Heiko Lunsmann said the boy had plotted his escape for a while and eventually seized the opportunity some time late last week while his guards slept.

He "was spotted alone" Saturday about six miles southwest of Lamitan City on the island of Basilan, a stronghold of the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf, the official Philippines News Agency said.

Army officials turned him over to American forces in the southern Mindanao region, the Philippine government said in a statement to CNN affiliate TV 5.

December 09, 2011

The Help Robert Levinson website is here.

December 01, 2011

Unfortunately, I know of no instance where al Qaeda has voluntarily freed a hostage. Other radical Islamists have, but not al Qaeda. All of them have been murdered in cold blood by the group:

Al Qaeda claimed responsibility Thursday for the kidnapping of a 70-year-old American aid worker in Pakistan in August, and issued a series of demands for his release.

In a video message posted on militant websites, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri said Warren Weinstein would be released if the United States stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. He also demanded the release of all Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects around the world.

We can only hope that our special forces find him sooner rather than later.

Previously: American kidnapped in Pakistan: Warren Weinstein

November 29, 2011

The saddest part? Much of the on location scenes for the original Star Wars on Tatooine were shot in this region. It's just one more thing on my bucket list that I'll never get to check off:

Algeria's secret service agency believes a branch of Al-Qaeda is planning a wave of abductions of Westerners in North Africa, according to a local news report.

The Department of Investigation and Security, or DRS, has informed its neighbours in the Sahel region that Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb has a plan to kidnap Westerners in the Sahel, according to a report in Algerian daily el-Khabar.

Sahel the countries bordering Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa: parts of the territory of Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, northern Ethiopia and Eritrea.

October 25, 2011

Ah, yes, more evidence that the Taliban are just "freedom fighters". It's just like that time that George Washington threatened to kill an Estonian couple if King George didn't release all American prisoners. Holding civilians from neutral countries hostage is just what "freedom fighters" do, right?

Here's the skinny:

'This is the announcement, a new announcement, for the Swiss government, for Pakistan government and for American government,' Och said as he held a local English newspaper dated September 15.

'We are in danger here, and please let go Aafia Siddiqui from America, and so please let go the prisoners that Pakistan have from Taliban,' he said in the video watched by dpa correspondent.

'Let them go because we are in tension, we have much of problem. If you do not, I think, it is the last time we can talk to this government.' ...

Waliur Rehamn, deputy head of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of more than a dozen militant outfits, said on July 29 that his organization was holding the couple....

The militant leader warned that if Aafia was not released, their Islamic court will decide the fate of the Swiss. He warned that the group would not hesitate to carry out any sort of punishment, an indirect reference to the past executions of Westerners.

October 19, 2011

A Frenchwoman was kidnapped in Kenya three weeks ago and al-Shabaab mujahideen took her to their al-Qaeda stronghold in Somalia.

The brave mujahideen left behind her wheelchair and medicine. Apparently, they dragged her because..well...she couldn't walk!

France stated they sent her meds to Al Shabaab but that was a waste of time, it is kaffir stuff. Al Qaeda doesn't care about kaffir medicines only kaffir money.

Brave bastar*ds, aint they?

The French authorities said they heard Marie Dedieu, 66, had died via intelligence officers dispatched by Paris to the region to seek her release. However, they said they had no information as to when she died or in what circumstances.

"Mrs Dedieu's state of health, uncertainty over the conditions of her detention and the fact that the kidnappers probably refused to give her the medication that we sent her lead us to believe that this tragic outcome is unfortunately the most likely," the foreign ministry statement said.

Dedieu used a wheelchair, had undergone two years of cancer treatment and also had heart problems for which she needed four-hourly medication. Her immune system was described by those who knew here as "very weak".

"It's a barbaric, violent act of utter brutality," foreign minister Alain Juppè said.

September 20, 2011

Africareview:

Residents in Haradhere district, some 420km northeast of Mogadishu, have confirmed to the media that a British woman was being held hostage by Somali pirates.

Ms Judith Tebbutt, 56, was kidnapped from the coast of Kenya while her husband, David Tebbutt, 58, was allegedly killed by the armed kidnappers.

Mr Abdullahi Mohamed Farah, an elder in Haradhere, told Shabelle, an independent broadcaster in Mogadishu on Sunday, that the Briton was spotted in the area.

Other sources, contacting the media in Mogadishu Monday, stated that the Briton was not in good condition, reflecting the difficult situation she had been exposed to over the past week.

The reports reaching Mogadishu late on Sunday indicated that the pirates took Ms Tebbutt from the coastal area to inland territory.

One pirate now says than in addition to being witness to the murder of her husband she is now ill. No way to know if this is a ploy to up the ransom or what.

That's some way for Muslims to treat a guest? It thought it was Haram to kidnap and murder guests?

Guess not.

We demand her immediate release and pray that those who kidnapper her and murdered her husband meet swift justice, preferably delivered by Kilroy.

September 16, 2011

Why do people vacation next to volatile regions?

Somalia's government says it believes a British tourist kidnapped in Kenya is being held by the Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab.

Judith Tebbutt, 56, was kidnapped by gunmen from a remote Kenyan resort at Kiwayu, near Lamu island.

The gang also shot dead her 58-year-old husband, David Tebbutt.

Somalia's defence minister, Hussein Arab Issa, said Mrs Tebbutt, from Hertfordshire, had been taken across the border into Somalia by al-Shabab.

UPDATE: Report: Al Qaedas al Shabaab to use her as a human shield because US bombed one of their bases. No, they are just cowards..

Assmaggots..

September 08, 2011

I'm not sure why I got stuck reporting the bad news. But one American and Two German citizens bodies were recovered in and around Kabul this week.

Our prayers for their families and thanks for their service and sacrifice for their nations and the Afghan people.

Remember when we leave they will be the ones bearing the brunt of the bloodthirsty Taliban murderers.

September 07, 2011

Given the silence on the ransom question, you can bet that the Somali pirates learned a valuable lesson from this: take more hostages:

A Danish yachting family held hostage by Somali pirates for more than six months has been released and is returning home after enduring "the most horrible ordeal one can imagine," government officials said.

Jan Quist Johansen, his wife Birgit Marie and their three teenage children were captured along with two Danish crew members on Feb. 24 as their 43-foot (13-meter) yacht was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean.

All seven "were released Tuesday and are doing well under the circumstances. They are in a plane on their way to Denmark," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Slente said.

H/T: DMartyr, who apparently forgot about that password....

August 24, 2011

FOX

HAMBURG, Germany – German police were investigating Wednesday after a woman was apparently kidnapped in the northern city of Hamburg and kept captive in a homemade torture chamber.

The Israeli woman made a brave escape from the soundproofed cell, made from a converted telephone booth, in 30-year-old Thomas Fischer's ground floor apartment -- fleeing when her captor forgot to lock the door and diving to freedom through a barbed wire-covered window

When officers stormed Fisher's heavily fortified apartment, they allegedly found a pistol, a hand grenade and surgical equipment including a scalpel, syringes and gynecological tools with which he had experimented on a mannequin[...]

A police spokesman was quoted as saying, "The whole two-roomed apartment was rigged up as one massive torture chamber, with this big old-fashioned telephone kiosk soundproofed as the cell for his victim."

The police prosecutor said, "It is evident that the apartment was meant as a place of confinement for some time."[ More]

UPDATE: Per Welt.de, the woman was Iranian [googlish]

Friday night continued to be Thomas F. projects. Armed with a pistol, he went to the apartment of his victim. The young Iranian woman who had met the man about a work colleague opened the door unsuspectingly. Then the man pulled his weapon and kidnapping victims be so in his apartment. What the woman saw there, she must have panicked. Located in the living room of his small two-room apartment for which he pays about 400 euros rent warm, the 30-year-old had built a soundproof dungeon. Apparently the woman should take the captivity in which only 50 square meter apartment for some time.

August 10, 2011

UPDATE: here

youtube.com/user/0hubbustruggle1 has plenty of videos to smackdown. You can start with this one (3of3):

Flag as: Violent or Repulsive Content >>>promotes terrorism<<<<

2 of 3

U.S. Army PFC Bowe Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in Paktika Province, Afghanistan on 30 June, 2009. He was moved into the Tribal Region of Pakistan soon after. In this May 6th, 2011 video his father addresses the Pakistani Military and the people of Pakistan.

Smack this terrorist supporting assmaggot down, please.

His family will thank you..

August 04, 2011

Via jihadi forum

Pakistan Taliban militants on Friday[7/29] said they are holding a Swiss couple kidnapped a month ago while on holiday in the remote province of Baluchistan.

Wali-ur Rehman, deputy head of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), did not provide proof that the group had the pair but said they were in good health and demanded they be exchanged for a Pakistani scientist jailed in the US.

Olivier David Och, 31, and Daniela Widmer, 28, were abducted on July 1 while driving in Baluchistan, a sparsely-populated southwestern province bordering Iran and Afghanistan that attracts few tourists due to separatist violence and Taliban activity.

Zionist bandwidth bitch images of TTP(total toilet paper head) commander Wali-ur Rehman below fold:

Related:
Swiss Confirmed 2 Nationals Were Kidnapped in SW Pakistan

AFP:

British authorities are checking the authenticity of a video claiming to show a British and Italian man kidnapped in May in Nigeria.

Britain's Foreign Office said Thursday officials are urgently examining the video, in which two men claim to have been kidnapped by al-Qaida.

The video was sent to news agency AFP's Ivory Coast office, but has not been made public.

Gunmen abducted the two men on May 12 in their apartment in the northwestern state of Kebbi. Both men were working as engineers for an Italian construction company.

British officials have confirmed that two men, including a British national, have been kidnapped, but have not released their names.

July 13, 2011

It's deja vu all over again in the Phillippines.

Suspicion fell on the notorious terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for ransom kidnappings, beheadings and bombings in the last two decades, or a Muslim rebel commander whose group has been linked to previous abductions. The 400-plus Abu Sayyaf militants, who are fighting for an Islamist state in the predominantly Christian nation, are holding three other kidnap victims, including a child, as part of desperate efforts to raise funds, according to the Philippine army. City police chief Edwin de Ocampo told reporters that the gunmen stormed a beach house on Tictabon island and took three tourists. De Ocampo identified them as Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, 50, her son Kevin Eric, and a nephew, Romnick Jackaria, 19.

We pray for their safe release, and the tortuous, painful deaths of their kidnappers. Inshallah.

H/T Creeping Shariah on Twitter

Updated by Howie: The American's have been identified as Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, her son Kevin Eric and nephew Romnick Jackaria.

July 02, 2011

Who knew SW Pakistan was a tourist destination

GENEVA -- Two Swiss tourists have been kidnapped in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province, the Foreign Ministry confirmed Saturday.

Pakistani authorities notified the embassy in Islamabad late Friday following the abduction of the pair, who were traveling through the region by car, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The kidnapping is the first such incident involving Swiss citizens in Pakistan, and authorities in Switzerland have set up a task force combining police and intelligence services to work on the case, it said.[More]

June 25, 2011

Your Hamas propaganda video regarding Galid Shalit's 5 years in captivity: Shalit will not see the light before our prisoners pi**ed off Jawas and resulted in this message from a Zionist's boobies:

Good work Jawas! Nice way to put it to 'em!

Heh..f**k em

The above billboard went up in NYC close to the UN headquarters thanks to 28-year old Californian Gal Sitty''s internet campaign.

Watch live: Celebrity jail cell protest

Beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, a 24-hour live broadcast began, showing various celebrities and former POWs sitting inside a makeshift dark closet-like prison cell - for one hour each - to reflect the conditions of captivity Gilad Schalit is living in. Saturday marked five years since the IDF soldier was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along the Gaza Strip border.

Among those participating in the project are: Former Mossad chief Danny Yatom, Former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon..[More]

I pray he will be released and safely returned to his family.

NOTE: I don't support Israel releasing Hamas terrorists for Galid. It only leads to more kidnapping/release terrorist cycle.

June 13, 2011

Via Velvethammer:

And filmed by Iranian Press TV, no less.

“Moderate” Muslims Honor the extremist Shi’ite leader who lead the takeover of Iran and the holding of Americans hostage for 444 days.

This leads me to the current situation in Iran, I wonder how these "moderate Muslims" feel about the murder of numerous Iranian pro-Western, anti-mullah protesters? The video below came about when the protests first started and still rings true today.

Another basta*d Ayatollah leading the charge and our government doesn't say sh*t.:

And it gets worse, Iran is working on "Islamic clean internet" or Western values are really screwing us, how dare the Westerners push freedom of speech, religion etc..

h/t CO2HOG

Iran has supplied weapons and training to those who have killed our finest and bravest. Hold that thought...Add Syria to that equation.

Let's hope there is lots of US undercover shit going on, just sayin..

Related: Video: When Revolutions Fail: 30 Years of Islamic Oppresion in Iran(Uncensored)[Video, by Evan Mark films below fold due ]Hold tha

We had a commenter by the name of Garduneh Mehr, a Iranian living in Canada. Certainly miss his/her comments...sigh

June 07, 2011

Atlantic Wire:

As the anti-government uprising in Syria has unfolded, Syrian-American blogger Amina Abdallah has attracted readers and been noticed by The Washington Post, CNN, Time,and The Guardian for her musings on the protest movement and what it's like to be gay in Syria. But her blog--A Gay Girl in Damascus--broached a very different topic today: Someone introducing herself as Abdallah's cousin wrote that Abdallah was seized by three armed men while on her way to meet with protest organizers. The cousin adds that while the family suspects Abdallah was seized by Syrian security forces, all that's known right now is that she's missing.

This Woman is an American being held hostage by Syria. We need to demand information on her status and any BS charges the Syrian regime might claim. And get her freed. She can come here if she likes.

Because she is an American we have a claim, not that she's more important than all the Syrians who died or were disappeared with these Soviet style tactics.

And for those who say Sharia is pretty much OK, even as an adult unmarried female her Father, who is in Syria, pretty much gets to decide what he wants. The choice he will be given will be you or her. No?

June 01, 2011

JPost

Terrorists in Gaza who had links to the 2006 abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit are "dying in unfortunate accidents," Homeland Security Minister Matan Vilnai said in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The comments appear to be the first major hint by a public official that Israel is systematically targeting Schalit's abductors.

UPDATE: Most appropriate, thanks to Howie:

May 08, 2011

Video from a jihadtuber, naturally.

TorontoSun

The Taliban said in a statement in February they believe Rutherford is a spy and they thought he was collecting intelligence on so-called mujahedeen fighters in Ghazni.

Foreign Affairs officials said Sunday the government is looking into Rutherford's case.

"We are aware that the Taliban issued a press release, including a link to a video, earlier today in Afghanistan. Colin Rutherford, a Canadian citizen, is missing in Afghanistan after travelling to the country as a tourist," said a statement sent to QMI Agency from spokeswoman Lisa Monette.

"Canadian officials are working with Afghan authorities to assist the family in securing the safe release of their loved one. We ask that the media respect the privacy of the family."

Foreign Affairs warns against all travel to Afghanistan.

UPDATE: The Canadian Press

.....In an accompanying email, the Taliban threatened to put Rutherford on trial for espionage if Canada does not meet its demands.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid did not list the demands, saying the Canadian government was aware of what the Taliban want.

May 07, 2011

We pray for his family, unconditional release and for his treatment while in Taliban custody.

Hat Tip: ABCNEWS:

The father of Bowe Bergdahl, the only U.S. soldier to be held in captivity by the Taliban, released a statement on YouTube Friday pleading for the safe release of his son in the wake of the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden.

"Our son is being exploited. It is past time for Bowe and the others to come home," said Robert Bergdahl in a video statement posted on-line.

In the three-minute message, he addresses the Pakistani military and thanked the Taliban commanders holding his son.

We'll update on any Taliban response.

April 28, 2011

Via AJ

Al-Qaeda's North African arm has released a video showing four French nuclear workers kidnapped last year in north Africa urging France to pull its troops out of Afghanistan.

A copy of the video, distributed on Tuesday by SITE, a US-based terrorism watchdog, shows a series of photographs of Pierre Legrand, Daniel Larribe, Thierry Dol and Marc Furrer with armed men standing behind them.

Over the photos is recorded an audio track that appears to be the men reading a prepared statement, one by one.

"We urge the president of the French republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, to respond positively to al-Qaeda's demand he withdraw French troops from Afghanistan, as the French have really no interest in the war in Afghanistan," they say.

According to the voices, the recordings were made on April 11, 12 and 13.

Reacting to the video, Laurent Wauquiez, France's minister for European affairs, told the French news network BFM-TV that Paris would "not allow its foreign policy to be dictated by kidnappers".

Prayers they will be released unharmed and returned to their families..sigh

UPDATE: Video:

Previous:

AQIM to hostages, say cheese

Just really like the gif's

Honest!

March 16, 2011

Good news: A member of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) convicted of murdering American aide worker Christopher Leggett was given the death penalty. The group murdered Leggett for the alleged "crime" of preaching the gospel of Jesus.

Bad new: His two accomplices only got life in prison.

Worse news: The European policy of paying ransom to AQIM has netted the group $18 million dollars

Multiple sources confirm he was charged, released and is now in or en route to London.

He was arrested in Pakistan after an incident in which he defended himself in an apparent robbery or attempt on his life. Several people died in the incident. He was accused of murder and of being a CIA operative by Pakistan.

Today he was charged with murder, but by the end of the day an agreement was apparently struck for his freedom. Reports are that blood money was exchanged and he was freed.

Cue Islamic Rage Boy in 5....4....3....

Hat Tip: Jane.

UPDATE by Rusty: ABC News:

Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor held in Pakistan after a deadly shooting incident in January, was freed today and is on his way home, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

Davis was released from detention after around $700,000 was paid to each family of the two men allegedly shot and killed by Davis, totaling around $1.4 million, a lawyer involved in the case told ABC News.

Updated by Howie again: There is a bit of riot footage here in this video.

March 15, 2011

JPost:

At 11:00 AM on Tuesday morning, people throughout the country stopped, observing five minutes of silence in honor of Gilad Schalit.

Rather than the customary one minute of silence, Ofer Ben Tal, one of the organizers for the campaign to free Gilad Schalit, asked the public to stop for five full minutes, one minute for the nearly five years Schalit has been held in captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Traffic jams were observed throughout Tel Aviv, as cars stopped in the streets in Schalit's honor.

"For the past five years, the entire nation has been united in its hearts in the hope that Gilad Schalit will be here with us, healthy and whole," President Shimon Peres said at Tuesday's Negev Conference in Eilat.

March 05, 2011

Remember Bob disappeared four years ago from a small island that Iran uses as a free trade zone.

Internet Anthropologist:

US gets proof former FBI agent Bob Levinson who disappeared in Kish Island 4 years ago today is alive http://tinyurl.com/4t28p4c

Believed to be in South West Asia.

1. He was in Iran as a private investigator
After retiring from the FBI in 1998, Levinson worked as a private investigator. According to his relatives, a cigarette smuggling investigation took him to Kish, a resort island and free trade zone off the coast of Iran.

2. He disappeared after meeting with a fugitive
According to a Christian Science Monitor report, Levinson vanished after having a meeting with Dawud Salahuddin, who was wanted in connection with the assassination of a former Iranian diplomat. Salahuddin told news media after Levinson's disappearance that the two men had met in a hotel; Salahuddin claimed he was detained by Iranian authorities after the meeting, and when he was released, Levinson was gone.

We pray that the Iranians release him soon.

March 02, 2011

They are holding 7 hostages. Two Danes, their three children and two crew members.

AP: NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Danish family kidnapped by pirates has reached the shore of Somalia, officials and a pirate said Wednesday, likely meaning a long hostage ordeal for the couple and their three teenage children who were abducted while yachting around the world.

A Somali pirate had warned that if any attempt was made to rescue them, they would meet the same fate as the four American yachters slain by their pirate captors last week. Any chance of a quick rescue seemed to disappear Wednesday.

The sailboat being piloted by Jan Quist Johansen, his wife and their three children, ages 12 to 16, anchored near the coastal village of Hafun late Tuesday, said Yusuf Abdullahi Sanyare, the commissioner of Hafun, which lies on Somalia's northern tip.

.....didn't find one.

Update: Well whaddya know, I did find one. Its from the The International Union for Muslim Scholars based in Dublin Ireland. I wonder if the pirates even recognize that group?

In the case of war, it is not permissible to kidnap innocent or enemy civilians who must not be made a target of any act of war. From the Islamic point of view, civilians are those who are non-combatants, such as women and children, as well as elderly men who have no role in the fighting, and priests. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has given an express order "not to kill women and children." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) He also said: "Do not kill any young person." (Reported by Abu Dawud) In an order to Khalid ibn Al-Walid, the commander of the army, he said: "Never kill a child or an employee." (Reported by Ibn Majah) This last order includes anyone who is employed in non-combat capacity, such as factory workers, medical personnel, and the like. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also highlighted the prohibition of killing an elderly man, a priest, or a hermit dedicated to worship. The same prohibition of killing elderly men is confirmed by Abu Bakr. Moreover, Jabir ibn `Abdullah, the Prophet's Companion, is quoted as saying that Muslims "did not kill business people who were unbelievers." The majority of scholars in the Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali schools of Islamic law extend this prohibition, on the basis of analogy, to include other non-combatants, such as those who are physically or mentally handicapped, and those who lock themselves in a house or a church, labourers, farmers, and tradesmen. Imam Ash-Shawkani has formulated a clear rule of analogy on this particular issue. This rule makes it clear that "it is unlawful from the Islamic point of view to kill anyone who is of no benefit to the enemy and cannot do the Muslims any harm."

Update II: An opposing hadith in comments

Bukhari (52:256) - The Prophet... was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, "They (i.e. women and children) are from them (i.e. pagans)." In this command, Muhammad establishes that it is permissible to kill non-combatants in the process of killing a perceived enemy.

February 27, 2011

Developing..

CanadianPress

OTTAWA - The federal government says a Canadian is missing in Afghanistan following a report that the Taliban is claiming they have captured someone from Canada.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman says Canadian officials are aware of the Taliban statement.

The spokesman says a man identified as Colin Rutherford is missing in Afghanistan after travelling to the country as atourist.

Could this be him? [note: removed video due to fact the person in video may not be him]

Prayers for his safety.

Thanks to ZH#3

Update: Naturally Taliban is calling him a spy.

A Canadian man who has been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan is a tourist, according to the Canadian government.

The Taliban issued a statement in which it said the man, identified as Colin Rutherford by the Canadian government, had documents that reveal "clandestine intelligence activities" in his possession.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the man had been captured in Ghazni city, south-west of Kabul.

But the Canadian government says Mr Rutherford is a tourist.

"Canadian officials are working with Afghan authorities to assist the family in securing the safe release of their loved one," a spokeswoman for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said[...]

The statement from the Taliban said they would release a video of Mr Rutherford soon.

February 19, 2011

AFP:

MOGADISHU — Somali pirates who hijacked a yacht believed to have Americans onboard were expected to bring the boat back to their main base of Hobyo, a senior pirate commander told AFP Saturday.

According to Ecoterra International, a non-governmental organisation monitoring maritime activity in the region, pirates hijacked the S/V Quest with four Americans onboard Friday in the Indian Ocean.

Abdi Yare, a top pirate commander in Hobyo, 500 kilometres (300 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu, said the boarding squad that captured the yacht left a week earlier from Harardhere, another pirate base further south.
"The pirate team that hijacked the yacht is led by a senior commander from the Harardhere area," he said.

"I think they will bring them (the hostages) here, near Hobyo, to negotiate the ransom," Yare added.

Harardhere, located around 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Hobyo is where modern Somali piracy originated in 2003-2004.

The town was conquered by the Shebab, an Al Qaeda-inspired insurgent group which is officially opposed to piracy but has recently appeared to tolerate pirate activity on its territory in exchange for a cut of the ransoms.

A dispute broke out in recent days between the Shebab and the main "investors" who finance pirate raids and hijackings in exchange for a stake in the ransoms.

Here is a picture of the S.V. Quest.

She is owned by a couple identified as Jean and Scott Adam.

Much more here including the couple's image here.

The Adams writes on their website “Another aspect of our travels is friendship evangelism – that is, finding homes for thousands of Bibles.” The Adams detail their travels from Mexico to the South Pacific, and list their yacht the S/V Quest registered to Marina Del Rey. “We were so unhappy being ‘dirt dwellers’ during our time in the States that another floating abode had to be acquired,” Jean Adam write on their website.

But the couple have not updated the website since December 21 last year.

Andrew Mwangura, the maritime editor of Somalia Report, tells the New York Times that the couple were intercepted roughly three hundred miles off of Oman. They had sent out an SOS which unfortunately was intercepted by the pirates.

I've no word as yet on the identity of the other two people aboard.

More here at MSNBC and the couple's blog is here

CBC:

Iran has released two German journalists who were arrested in October for interviewing the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning.

Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch were originally sentenced to 20 months in prison for committing acts against national security, but their penalties were commuted to cash fines of $50,000 US each. On Saturday, they were freed.

The two Germans, a reporter and a photographer for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, had entered the country on tourist visas that did not permit them to do any reporting.

They were detained while interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a woman condemned to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery.

February 18, 2011

Reuters:

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Italian woman kidnapped in Algeria in early February said she was being held by al Qaeda's north African wing, according to an audio recording aired by Al Arabiya television.

"Maria Sandra Mariani, I am the Italian woman kidnapped on Wednesday, Feb 2, 2011 near Djanet in Algeria," a woman said in the message aired by the news channel, speaking in French.

Al Arabiya television said on Thursday it had obtained an audio message from the woman after being contacted by telephone by a spokesman for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) who claimed the abduction and said she was alive.

"I am still being held by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ... I ask Arabiya to please publicise this message. Thank You," the woman said in the recording.

The 56-year-old woman tourist was kidnapped by armed men in Algeria's Sahara desert, where insurgents operating as AQIM have been active.

January 08, 2011

Via SMH

Heavily armed members of Niger's security forces were combing the centre of the capital Saturday after gunmen abducted two Frenchmen from a restaurant in front of shocked diners and staff.

Two armed men burst into the Toulousain restaurant in the city centre when it was crowded with diners late Friday and forced the two men to follow them, staff and diners told AFP.

They were taken to a four-by-four vehicle with Benin plates in which other armed men were waiting and then driven off at speed. The incident happened between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm (2130 and 2230 GMT).
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A security source in Niger confirmed the abduction, while a police source said that one of the two abducted men had arrived that same day to attend a wedding.

A French foreign ministry spokesman in Paris told AFP late Friday: "We are aware of this information, we are fully mobilised both in Paris and in Niamey to check it."[...]

Witnesses said both abductors wore turbans and one customer at the restaurant said the two had fair skin and had spoken Arabic.

"When they came in they fell on the two Frenchmen and they shouted, 'You and you, follow us'. In their rush, one of the attackers lost his turban.

Let's hope they all will be released...unharmed.

December 31, 2010

Chron:

Some of the people held hostage by two armed robbers have been released from the Chase Bank where they have been held for nearly three hours, Pearland police said. The robbers remain inside the bank.

Five hostages emerged Friday afternoon, one wearing a striped, short-sleeved shirt with his hands in the air, and the second in handcuffs.

At least two suspects and at least two hostages remained inside.

The bank’s manager was injured early in the ordeal when he was struck by one of the robbers, police said. The manager escaped and was treated for his injuries.

"We're trying to resolve the situation peacefully," said Pearland Police Lt. Onesmio Lopez.

More than 50 police officers, assisted by the FBI, have surrounded the bank, 1915 N. Main St., and sealed off surrounding streets.

The nightmare began around 11:30 a.m. when a witness saw the robbers enter into the bank wearing ski masks and called 911, police said.

The first officer responded within a couple minutes, police said. At some point, the robbers were trying to exit the bank when shots were fired.

Thankfully everything was resolved peacefully.

A daylong standoff between police and two armed bank robberies who took hostages ended Friday afternoon in Pearland, Texas, a police official said.

The two armed men had taken an undisclosed number of employees and customers hostage during a bank robbery Friday morning, the official said.

December 08, 2010

News Observer:

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A new video released by the Taliban shows a man believed to be the only known American serviceman held captive in Afghanistan, a group that tracks militant websites said Wednesday.

Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, has been held by the Taliban since June 30, 2009, when he disappeared in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan. It was not immediately clear when the video was made.

The U.S.-based IntelCenter said that along with Berghdal, another man in the video appeared to be the Taliban commander who had once threatened to kill the U.S. soldier. The video, taken in a wooded area, shows Berghdal looking thin in a loose gray top, with bags under his eyes and what appeared to be an abrasion along his left cheekbone.

n July 2009, Taliban commander Mawlavi Sangin's spokesman told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Berghdal would be killed unless the U.S. stops strikes in Ghazni province's Giro district and Paktika province's Khoshamand district.

The video, which also shows militant attacks in Afghanistan, was released by Manba al-Jihad, a video production group affiliated with the Taliban. The man believed to be Bergdahl appears only briefly in the video and is not the main focus.

Update by Howie: The clip is in the middle of a large download. I let ABC dig for it.

November 30, 2010

Click for Amazon.com

NPR:

Kristen Mulvihill was married to the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent David Rohde for two months when she received a call in 2008 from David's brother, Lee.

Lee told Mulvihill that David never returned from his last interview in Kabul — a meeting he had arranged with a Taliban commander. It was a meeting Mulvihill knew nothing about.

Rohde was abducted — and for seven months, he and his translator and driver were prisoners of a hard-line Taliban faction that operated out of Pakistan's ungoverned tribal areas.

And in June 2009, Rohde and his translator mounted a daring escape.

Anyway, David Rohde's NYT's article of the same name is here.

I thought the most interesting quote from David was that even though he'd been in Afghanistan seven years, when he found himself kidnapped in the tribal areas of Pakistan he found the Taliban was more radical that he possibly imagined.

Rohde says he was surprised at how radical the Taliban were that he faced.

"I think there arguably are some moderate Taliban," he says. "I was in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the most hard-line Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are based there. They worked hand-in-hand with foreign militants and al-Qaida members. I was held in the same place where Faisal Shahzad, the young man who failed to set off a bomb in Times Square, was trained. It's North Waziristan. The U.S. has asked the Pakistani army to go in there, and they have not to date."

November 13, 2010

On June 12, 2004 Paul Marshall Johnson Jr., an American helicopter Engineer living in Saudi Arabia, was abducted near a fake checkpoint in Riyadh by a terrorist group some have became very familiar with recently - Al-Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP). Home to now U.S. traitors - Anwar al-Awlaki & Samir Khan aka Inshallahshaheed

AQAP demanded release of all prisoners in Saudi jails. The demands weren't met and the bas**rds beheaded him. For unknown reasons, the beheading video has resurfaced and is available at YouTube...naturally.

Please smack this video down, his family doesn't need anymore heartache.[Update: When flagging click 'violent & repulsive content', in the drop down menu it shows promotes terrorism...shocka...this is new...click that sucker][Update II: so much for new category, damn video still there. WTF UP YT]

To Samir Khan, are you learning how to behead yet or are you still in the goat hump thingy stage?

Video below fold with the strongest possible warnings.

Update: Finally, YouTube removed it. Didn't suspend his account. WTF?

I agree with Andrea..we are all pawns in their game:

I am quickly coming to the conclusion we are nothing more than pawns in Google/YouTube's plans. With groups like SDC/QTR/Jawa working to take down terrorist videos it gives Google the ability to say - The good folks are working SO HARD, bless them, we REALLY appreciate their help, but there are just too many, too many!

I have read ad nauseam the articles reporting and/or praising Google/YouTube for removing Al-Awlaki videos in the last few weeks.
What an absolute joke.
More pawns. They are just more pawns.

How it works - Operation YouTube Smackdown et al periodically gets them news coverage. Then some government sub-committee decides, yet again, to review the goings on at Google/YouTube. More news coverage. Then Google/YouTube make a little noise about complying, which gets more news coverage, and they go right on with doing what they are doing and the publicity and money just flows in. One neat little never ending cycle[...]

Last point. Someone please explain how it is they can take down porn but not jihad videos. They have to be using word recognition software of some sort for porno but the genius' can't do the same with terrorist videos?

Follow the money folks, all the way to Bermuda[Google doesn't pay taxes] and who knows where else![The tax haven that's saving Google billions]

This is bullshit and I for one no longer choose to be a pawn in their grand scheme of things. [Read it all]

Thanks to ace tomato & greg-o for letting us know plus a big Thank You to all who helped! I don't mean to appear unthankful for your help...just very p**sed at this moment at Google.

Cyber jihad is still active, thanks to YouTube

To YouTube: F*ck you! for removing video and allowing this jihadi account to remain? For shame...

Warning

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Video removed:

Googlish translate on title: "Advice to Asaker of Sheikh Fares bin Shuweil Zahrani" whatever the hell that means I dunno at the moment.

Why did I post this? Because this is the brutal truth of Islamic terrorism.

Thanks to Andrea.
Related:
YouTube: Where Anwar al-Awlaki Promotes Terror 24/7
Paul Johnson Beheading Video: why you should see it