March 20, 2013

If we can put aside for a moment the stupidity of traveling to SW Pakistan, for any reason, let alone being female and western, two women are missing.

Radio Prague: The Czech Republic has intensified diplomatic efforts to try to secure the release of two Czech women kidnapped in south-west Pakistan last week. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction or asked for a ransom. Although the Pakistani authorities are working on the case, previous kidnappings in the troubled province suggest it may take weeks to find them.

The two young women, both in their mid-20s, were on the road to Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’ south-west Baluchistan province, accompanied by a police escort, when their van was stopped by a group of armed assailants and all three were seized. The police guard was later released and the young tourists were forced into a brown Land Rover and smuggled away to an unknown destination. The identity of the assailants remains unknown and no request for a ransom has so far been made. The Czech Foreign Ministry says that while communication channels with the local authorities are open no immediate results can be expected. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzeberg:

Hat Tip: Birbal Dhar.

March 07, 2013

Gee, lets help them some more, eh John Kerry?

Gawd

[S]yria rebels near the village of Jamla on the Golan Heights captured a convoy of United Nations vehicles and kidnapped 21 Filipino UN employees Wednesday.

The kidnappers were negotiating with UN forces and demanding that the Syrian regime remove all its troops from the area adjoining the Syrian side of the border with Israel.

The UN Security Council demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

In Manila, Philippine military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said that Syrian rebels were holding 21 Filipino peacekeepers “as guests.”[...]

A video clip released by the rebels shows a number of gunmen standing alongside the UN vehicles, while their apparent leader announced his demands. Some of the United Nations employees can be seen inside the vehicles.

In a second video, the same rebel spokesman is seen accusing the UN, the Assad regime and Europe of “collaborating with Israel.”[...]

The Free Syrian army will remain here until we banish Bashar and his oppression,” one rebel is seen saying.

The video accuses the peacekeepers of assisting the Syrian regime to redeploy in an area near the Golan that the fighters seized a few days ago in battles that left 11 fighters and 19 regime forces dead.

A man identified as Abu Qaed al-Faleh, spokesman for the Martyrs of Yarmouk Brigades, announced the group is holding the peacekeepers until Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces withdraw from Jamla.[More]

These two videos maybe why the Philippine military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said that Syrian rebels were holding 21 Filipino peacekeepers “as guests.”.

Guests my arse.

February 28, 2013

A video report from an Egyptian website claims that 100 Coptic Christians from Egypt have been arrested for the "crime" of fulfilling their Christian duty and spreading the gospel. Some reports claim that the video shows "Islamist elements" holding the Christian prisoners, but the news report itself claims that it was officials of the Libyan government. Or as the Google translation puts it, "Libyan government accusing them of proselytizing".

Given that the line between government officials and Islamist militias is a hazy one in parts of Libya -- especially Benghazi, where they were "arrested" -- it's not clear to me which one is accurate.

But would it be out of character for the Libyans to arrest Christians for this "crime"? Earlier this month four foreigners, including an American, were nicked for proselytizing. The penalty of which can be as severe as death.

In any case, the report also claims that the Christians have been tortured by those holding them and that some of them were killed while trying to escape. And lest you think these men were in Libya as Christians, the report also suggests that they were in the country to work as contractors, many of them in professional positions.

Here's the video. The men on the floor with the shaved heads are the captive Christians. Notice the Christian literature being shown as evidence of the "crime".

Arab Spring!

February 25, 2013

[video gone but I have one below the fold]

Such bravery by the jihadi threatening to kill this family if their demands aren't met. Terrorizing their children, gawd.

Assmaggots.

Bankok Post

A video appeared on YouTube Monday of seven kidnapped members of a French family with their abductors, who claimed to be from Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and demanded the release of prisoners.

The video represented the first images of the family to emerge since their abduction in Cameroon on February 19.

The kidnappers, claiming to be from the Nigerian group Boko Haram, say they carried out the kidnapping in part due to France's "war against Islam," apparently a reference to French military action in Mali.

The more than three-minute video shows the family, including four children, held in an undisclosed location, surrounded by at least three of the abductors whose faces are hidden.

A source close to the family confirmed their identities to AFP. It was not clear when the video was made.

"If you want us to release these French citizens, quickly release all our women you are detaining," one of the abductors says in Arabic, addressing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

[Continue reading]

Stay tuned.

h/t @BokoHaramWatch

Update: Full video below the fold:

Thanks to @meankitteh1

Prayers that this family is released, unharmed.

Update: Birbal Dhar has a point, the jihadi didn't blur the woman's face. Although, I believe this is a splinter group supporting Boko Haram. The flag is definitely NOT Boko Haram's.

February 13, 2013

Sadly, unless they are rescued, they most likely will be killed. The savages of the African Taliban enjoy killing innocents:

Nairobi — Twenty-six-year-old Komora Yesse is an emotionally wrecked man.

His brother's heart-wrenching fate is due to be sealed within the next 20 something hours, in the war-torn Somalia.

So as the clock slowly ticks towards midnight Thursday, he will have to keep checking social networks to know whether or not the Al Shabaab terror group makes good its threat to execute his elder brother, Edward Mule and registration clerk Fredrick Irungu.

"It is very sad. It is hard on my mother because of the pain of losing a child. It is hard on my sister, his wife, my father and me. We just want to talk to him again. All I think of is Mule," says Yesse.[More...]

They have since opened a new Twitter account - @HSMPRESS1. I don't see anything on it regarding these hostages and most likely they are careful not to do so. There is also another Twitter account here, but most likely a supporter and not a spokesperson for al-Shabaab.

Tomorrow will tell the tale, sigh. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the hostages.

January 24, 2013

First, Al Shabaab (aka the African Taliban) tweet a link to the download:

Next, it appears on JihadTube:

Then the threats:

Twitter yawns over TOS violation as they did when Al Shabaab, aka @HSMPress, threatened to kill French hostage Denis Allex if France attempted to rescue him. He died and Al Shabaab tweeted several images of a French commando who was killed in the failed hostage rescue operation.

I suppose we should start calling Twitter JihadTweet or JihadTwitter or TwitterJihad, much like we call Google's YouTube JihadTube.

Update: Kenya officials respond to the above threat We will not bargain with al-Shabaab

* Says government "cannot negotiate with terrorists"
* Nairobi says hostages are non-combatants, not POWs

Update: If you so choose, tweet this article to @hrw and/or contact them here and ask why the silence on these hostages and the death threat. If Jews were involved it would be all over the news.

Update: OWND:

January 23, 2013

Lovely

ALGIERS — Several Egyptian members of the squad of militants that lay bloody siege to an Algerian gas complex last week also took part in the deadly attack on the United States Mission in Libya in September, a senior Algerian official said Tuesday.

The Egyptians involved in both attacks were killed by Algerian forces during the four-day ordeal that ended in the deaths of at least 38 hostages and 29 kidnappers, the official said. But three of the militants were captured alive, and one of them described the Egyptians’ role in both assaults under interrogation by the Algerian security services, the official said.

If confirmed, the link between two of the most brazen assaults in recent memory would reinforce the transborder character of the jihadist groups now striking across the Sahara[More...]

Related:
Primer on Jihadi Players in Algeria and Mali, Pt4[final]: Ansar al-Din
Primer on Jihadi Players in Algeria and Mali, Pt3: Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa
Primer on Jihadi Players in Algeria and Mali, Pt2: Belmokhtar & Those Who Sign With Blood
Primer on Jihadi Players in Algeria and Mali, Pt1: AQIM

January 22, 2013

Related:
Colorado man survived Algerian hostage crisis by hiding from terrorists 2 1/2 days
The State Dept has confirmed three American deaths: Victor Lynn Lovelady, Gordon Lee Rowan, and Frederick Buttaccio"

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of Mr Lovelady, Mr Rowan and Mr Buttaccio and all who have lost loved ones in the brutal terror attack on innocents.

Previous:

Report: In Amenas, #Algeria - Canadian Passports Found On 2 Dead Terrorists
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis Reportedly Comes To A Violent End Update: Report: 5 Terrorist 'Taken Alive'
Lessons Learned(Bumped)
In Amenas, #Algeria: One American Dies In Hostage Siege
#Algeria Hostage Crisis: Terrorist Want To 'Swap' 2 Americans For 2 Jailed Terror Figures, Blind Sheikh One Of Them Update: Lady Al Qaeda Is The Other One
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis: Does This Really Hep?
#Algeria: Some Hostages, Including Americans, Escaped Captors
Unconfirmed Report: Several Hostages & Their Kidnappers Killed In Algerian Airstrike FRANCE 24: Hostages Forced To Wear 'Suicide Belts'?
US Officials Confirm Americans Among Those Held Hostage by Al Qaeda-Linked Group in Algeria
Al Qaeda Linked Group From Mali Claim They Are Holding 7 Americans, Among Others..
After Taking Control Of Algerian Gas Field(Update)

January 21, 2013

Click here to read the updates

Previous:
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis Reportedly Comes To A Violent End Update: Report: 5 Terrorist 'Taken Alive'
Lessons Learned(Bumped)
In Amenas, #Algeria: One American Dies In Hostage Siege
#Algeria Hostage Crisis: Terrorist Want To 'Swap' 2 Americans For 2 Jailed Terror Figures, Blind Sheikh One Of Them Update: Lady Al Qaeda Is The Other One
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis: Does This Really Hep?
#Algeria: Some Hostages, Including Americans, Escaped Captors
Unconfirmed Report: Several Hostages & Their Kidnappers Killed In Algerian Airstrike FRANCE 24: Hostages Forced To Wear 'Suicide Belts'?
US Officials Confirm Americans Among Those Held Hostage by Al Qaeda-Linked Group in Algeria
Al Qaeda Linked Group From Mali Claim They Are Holding 7 Americans, Among Others..
After Taking Control Of Algerian Gas Field(Update)

January 20, 2013

Violence, thy name is radical Islam

ALGIERS, Algeria – Algerian bomb squads scouring a gas plant where Islamist militants took dozens of foreign workers hostage found "numerous" new bodies on Sunday as they searched for explosive traps left behind by the attackers, a security official said, a day after a bloody raid ended the four-day siege of the remote desert refinery.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the bodies were badly disfigured and difficult to identify.

"The bodies could be either Algerian or foreign hostages," he said.

Algerian special forces stormed the natural gas complex in the Sahara desert on Saturday to end the standoff, and the government said all 32 militants were killed. Earlier Sunday, Algeria's chief government spokesman said he feared the toll of hostages -- which stood at 23 on Saturday -- would rise as the special forces teams finished their search.[...]

In the final assault, the remaining band of militants killed seven hostages before 11 of them were in turn cut down by the special forces, Algeria's state news agency said[More...]

The militants who seized hostages at the In Amenas gas facility in southeast Algeria included nationals of seven countries – Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, Algeria, Canada, Nigeria and Mauritania. The group was trained in Nigeria.

It crossed into Algeria through Libya with the aim of seizing a large number of foreign hostages and transferring them to Mali in an attempt to force France to stop its military intervention in that African country.

Officials said the army launched its assault after Islamist militants began killing foreign hostages.

Mr Said said he very much feared the death toll "would, unfortunately, be revised upwards".

He added that the militants were from six different countries, "nationals of Arab and African countries, and of non-African countries".

Evil bast*rds:

The full extent of the militants’ chilling intent and the horrors inside the facility began to emerge yesterday. According to the eyewitness account of an Algerian cook, working at the compound, the kidnappers grabbed one British hostage and forced him at gunpoint to call for other Westerners to come out from where they were hiding. Once his colleagues had given themselves up, the Briton was shot in cold blood. “They threatened him until he called out in English to his friends,” said the man named Chabane. “A few minutes later, they blew him away.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by this.

Update: Hmmm: Hostage-takers 'taken alive' at gas plant

Five suspected members of the Islamist group which held foreign and local workers hostage at an Algerian gas plant have been arrested, reports say.

Previous:
In Amenas, #Algeria: One American Dies In Hostage Siege
#Algeria Hostage Crisis: Terrorist Want To 'Swap' 2 Americans For 2 Jailed Terror Figures, Blind Sheikh One Of Them Update: Lady Al Qaeda Is The Other One
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis: Does This Really Hep?
#Algeria: Some Hostages, Including Americans, Escaped Captors
Unconfirmed Report: Several Hostages & Their Kidnappers Killed In Algerian Airstrike FRANCE 24: Hostages Forced To Wear 'Suicide Belts'?
US Officials Confirm Americans Among Those Held Hostage by Al Qaeda-Linked Group in Algeria
Al Qaeda Linked Group From Mali Claim They Are Holding 7 Americans, Among Others..
After Taking Control Of Algerian Gas Field(Update)

January 18, 2013

Heartache.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Texas resident Frederick Buttaccio

May he RIP

DEVELOPING....

Fox News has confirmed that one American has died in the hostage standoff at an Algerian gas complex. Officials told the Associated Press the deceased American is Texas resident, Frederick Buttaccio. It is unclear how he died.

The officials say Buttaccio's remains have been recovered and his family has been notified. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Earlier Friday, the State Department confirmed there are still American hostages being held by an Al Qaeda-linked group at the gas plant, deep in the Saharan desert. When asked about a report that the group wants to trade hostages for terror figures jailed in the United States, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “The United States does not negotiate with terrorists.”[More...]

Previous:
#Algeria Hostage Crisis: Terrorist Want To 'Swap' 2 Americans For 2 Jailed Terror Figures, Blind Sheikh One Of Them Update: Lady Al Qaeda Is The Other One
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis: Does This Really Hep?
#Algeria: Some Hostages, Including Americans, Escaped Captors
Unconfirmed Report: Several Hostages & Their Kidnappers Killed In Algerian Airstrike FRANCE 24: Hostages Forced To Wear 'Suicide Belts'?
US Officials Confirm Americans Among Those Held Hostage by Al Qaeda-Linked Group in Algeria
Al Qaeda Linked Group From Mali Claim They Are Holding 7 Americans, Among Others..
After Taking Control Of Algerian Gas Field(Update)

The one eyed bitch wants the no eyed bitch released? Screw that!

A U.S. Air Force aero evacuation plane is in the process of rescuing Americans and others who were taken hostage by an Al Qaeda-linked group at a gas plant in Algeria. The rescued hostages will be flown to a U.S. facility in Europe.

An American from Texas remains missing[Houston engineer..ed] after an Algerian military raid on the terror group reportedly ended the hostage standoff at the remote gas plant in the Saharan Desert.

Britain's Foreign Office said Friday the hostage crisis "remains ongoing," but gave no further details.

Militants reportedly want to swap two Americans for jailed terror figures, a Mauritania news site reported. One of the two, Omar Abdel Rahman, masterminded the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[More...]

Update: The other terrorists they want to swap for is Lady Al Qaeda aka Aafia Siddiqui:

Previous:
In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis: Does This Really Hep?
#Algeria: Some Hostages, Including Americans, Escaped Captors
Unconfirmed Report: Several Hostages & Their Kidnappers Killed In Algerian Airstrike FRANCE 24: Hostages Forced To Wear 'Suicide Belts'?
US Officials Confirm Americans Among Those Held Hostage by Al Qaeda-Linked Group in Algeria
Al Qaeda Linked Group From Mali Claim They Are Holding 7 Americans, Among Others..
After Taking Control Of Algerian Gas Field(Update)

January 17, 2013

Hostages, including American/Americans, are still being held by followers of the one eyed bitch.

Now is not the time to lay blame. Terrorist are propagandist and they will eat this shit up.

End.of.rant.

Update: Besides, three terrorist leaders were sploded in the rescue attempt. One of them is called bucktooth akhi aka Abu Al-Baraa:

Ah shit, forget what I said about don't give them a reason. They (the terrorists) don't f'n need a reason to kill the remaining hostages. That's why they are called terrorists! F 'em. and I laugh at the bucktoothed akhi very timely splodin. May he rest in pieces..

Update on US Officials Confirm Americans Among Those Held Hostage by Al Qaeda-Linked Group in Algeria

Developing...

An Algerian security official says at least 20 foreigners have escaped from the natural gas plant deep in the Sahara desert where Islamist militants are holding dozens of hostages.

The official said those escaping included Americans and Europeans. He did not give any further details.

Also, Reuters is reporting Thirty-four hostages and 14 of their al Qaeda-linked kidnappers were killed on Thursday in an air strike by the Algerian armed forces The report could not be verified as one of the kidnappers stated that to Mauritania's ANI news agency.

The spokesman for the kidnappers has also said they would kill the rest of the hostages if the Algerian army approached. The terrorist are demanding France stop their attack on their terrorist buds in Mali.

Update: 48hr rule. Reuters now reporting 6 hostages and 8 terrorists died in Algerian army's airstrike. And, remaining hostages are two Americans, three Belgians, one Japanese and one Brit.

Update II: FRANCE 24 apparently has spoken to one of the hostages, a French national

He said the militants simultaneously stormed the gas plant as well as the workers’ living quarters. “They came in and once there was daylight, grouped us all together.”

He said the attackers were heavily armed and forced several hostages to wear explosives belts. They threatened to blow up the gas field if Algerian forces attempted to enter the site.

FRANCE 24 could not verify if the testimony was made under duress

Algeria troops had surrounded the compound in the Sahara desert, where hostages from the U.S., Algeria, Norway, Japan, France and other countries are being held by terrorists who claim to be part of Al Qaeda and are led by a one-eyed smuggler known as **Mr. Marlboro.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told ABC News that as many as 100 hostages are being held, and that there may be seven or eight Americans among them. The kidnappers have released a statement saying there are "more than 40 crusaders" held "including 7 Americans."

Update IV: "We'll kill infidels": Algeria gunmen told hostage

(Reuters) - Islamist gunmen who seized hundreds of gas plant workers in the Sahara told Algerian staff they would not harm Muslims but would kill Western hostages they called "Christians and infidels", a local man who escaped said on Thursday.

In a rare eyewitness account of Wednesday's dawn raid deep in the desert, a local man employed at the facility told Reuters the militants appeared to have good inside knowledge of the layout of the complex and used the language of radical Islam.

"The terrorists told us at the very start that they would not hurt Muslims but were only interested in the Christians and infidels," Abdelkader, 53, said by telephone from his home in the nearby town of In Amenas. "We will kill them, they said."[More...]

Update V: Via FRANCE 24 liveblog:

Mauritanian news agency ANI says Abu al Baraa, who led the attack on gas field, has been killed. Al Baraa appeared on Al Jazeera earlier Thursday demanding the Algerian army pull out from In Amenas to allow negotiations.

[48hr rule..ed]Algerian security source says 30 hostages killed, including seven foreigners, among them two Japanese, two Britons and one French national. Eight Algerian hostages were killed in the operation. (Reuters)

According to an Algerian security source, the dead militants include a Frenchman, a Malian, three Egyptians, two Algerians, two Tunisians and two Libyans. (Reuters)

Algerian state news agency APS quotes official say saying military operation at In Amenas gas facility over.

Related: In Amenas, #Algeria Hostage Crisis: Does This Really Help?

January 16, 2013

At least 3 Americans, maybe more.

Dear Obama, Al Qaeda is not decimated nor are they on the run!

U.S. officials have confirmed that Americans are among the hostages held following an attack by al Qaeda-linked insurgents on a BP joint-venture natural gas field in Algeria.

A senior intelligence official told ABC News that it currently appears three U.S. citizens are being held. However, the official cautioned that the numbers can change as can the overall number of hostages.

While the total number of hostages remains unclear, a number of reports have said as many as 41 hostages were being held. An official at BP told ABC News that there are approximately 700 local staff and contractors at the facility and 20 international BP staff and contractors at the In Amenas gas field in eastern central Libya.

In a briefing, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland condemned the attacks and confirmed that U.S. citizens are among the hostages.

"In order to protect their safety," said Nuland, "I'm not going to get into numbers, I'm not going to get into names, I'm not going to get into any further details as we continue to work on this situation with Algerian authorities and also their employers."[...]

Al Qaeda linked militants called the Khaled Abu al-Abbas Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was retaliation for Algeria letting French jets use its airspace during its ongoing military operations in Mali. The news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) said it had received a telephone call from a person or persons who described themselves as hostage takers, and said, "We are members of al-Qaeda and we came from northern Mali. We belong to the Khaled Abul Abbas Brigade led by **Mokhtar Belmokhtar."

Last fall, Mokhtar Belmokhtar broke away from AQIM, the North African wing of al Qaeda, after other militants questioned his possible connection to weapons and drug smuggling, but remains affiliated with al Qaeda. He announced the formation of his new group in a video released on the web in December. [More...]

Previous:
Al Qaeda Linked Group From Mali Claim They Are Holding 7 Americans, Among Others..After Taking Control Of Algerian Gas Field

The group said the attack was in revenge for Algeria's support of France's operation against Al Qaeda-linked Malian rebels groups far to the southeast

A group called the Katibat Moulathamine, or the Masked Brigade, called a Mauritanian news outlet to say one of its subsidiaries had carried out the operation on the Ain Amenas gas field, taking 41 hostages from nine or 10 different nationalities.

The group's claim could not be independently substantiated and typically there would be fewer than 20 foreign staff members on site on a typical day, along with hundreds of Algerian employees[...]

In a statement BP said the site was "attacked and occupied by a group of unidentified armed people," and some of its personnel are believed to be "held by the occupiers."

The number and identities of the hostages was still unclear, but Ireland announced that a 36-year-old married Irish man was among them, while Japan and Britain said their citizens were involved as well. A Norwegian woman said her husband called her saying he had been taken hostage.

In addition to the two foreigners killed -- one of them a Briton -- six others were wounded in the attack, including two foreigners, two police officers and two security agents, Algeria's state news agency reported.

[Continue reading]

Update: US officials have confirmed at least 3 or maybe more US citizens are being held hostage by a al-Qaeda terror group run by a one eyed bitch

France has reported two commandos and the hostage, Dennis Allex, were killed during the rescue attempt. Not wanting to take credit for killing the hostage during the rescue, al-Shabaab is now claiming they killed Alexx after and are blaming the French for his death.

The African Taliban's Twitter account put out the following 'press release' in a "'TwitLonger'. Twitter has become al-Shabaab's only means of communicating. You could say the Jawa Report is mainly responsible for that.

Anyway, here is part of the press release minus the Allah this and Allah that

The Verdict:

The death of the two French soldiers pales into insignificance besides the dozens of Muslim civilians senselessly killed by the French forces during the operation. Avenging the deaths of these civilians and taking into consideration France’s increasing persecution of Muslims around the world, its oppressive anti-Islam policies at home, French military operations in the war against Islamic Shari’ah in Afghanistan and, most recently, in Mali, and its continued economic, political and military assistance towards the African invaders in Muslim lands, Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen has reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer, Dennis Allex .

With the rescue attempt, France has voluntarily signed Allex’s death warrant. Following the failed operation, Le Drian, aware that execution is the natural corollary of treachery, announced that the punishment had already been meted out, despite the fact that Allex was at the time alive and safe in another safe house.

Saturday’s botched rescue operation was an abysmal failure; both in terms of intelligence and the ground operation. The French forces, driven by false intelligence reports from the ground, landed a few kilometers away from the town of Bulo-Marer and headed towards their designated location, killing all the villagers that crossed their path. The villagers, including an elderly woman, were later found some with their throats slit and others with bullets riddle all over their bodies. But before the French forces could reach their destination, the Mujahideen in Bulo-Marer were alerted by HSM intelligence teams who had information of the French movements.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Dennis Allex. Also, the commandos killed in the operation. One such commando has his images on the African Taliban's Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/HSMPress/status/290802076886368256
https://twitter.com/HSMPress/status/290804482344898560
https://twitter.com/HSMPress/status/290812010076188672

Twitter has ignored me and others flagging the images and has allowed the images to stay. Although, the African Taliban did notice my call for flagging the images:

Twitter, like Facebook and JihadTube, has no problem providing services to terror groups. They, the terror groups, are quite happy now on Twitter knowing they have free reign to spread their propaganda.

January 12, 2013

The African Taliban, have held Allex since 2009

A French soldier was killed and another was captured in a failed French commando raid on Saturday to rescue French hostage Denis Allex, who is also believed to have died in the operation, according to the French Defence Ministry.

The Islamist captors of a French military agent killed him during a French commando raid in Somalia, the French Defence Ministry said Saturday. One French soldier and 17 Islamists were also killed in the fighting.

Gen. Martin Klotz, a spokesman for the ministry, declined to provide details of the overnight operation aimed at rescuing secret service agent Denis Allex - the code-name for the man who was kidnapped by the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab in Mogadishu, the capital, in 2009.

His Somali captors, however, claim they are holding Allex alive and said they had a new captive, a French commando wounded in the fighting.

"(Denis) Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle," al-Shabaab said in a news release. "As a response to this botched rescue operation by the French forces, (the Shabaab) assures the French people that it will give its final verdict regarding the fate of Denis Allex within two days."

December 27, 2012

Rappler:

MANILA, Philippines - On Wednesday, December 26, accounts on Facebook and YouTube posted and shared a video of Australian Warren Rodwell, kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf from his home in the southern Philippines a little more than a year ago.

In the newest video recorded Sunday, December 16, Rodwell looks noticeably thinner than the last proof-of-life video taped exactly 9 months ago on March 26.

Rodwell holds up a copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer from Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Wearing a black t-shirt, his hair is cropped short, his cheeks sunken. He speaks with a weary air.

“This video clip today is to say that I am alive,” Rodwell tells the camera. “I am waiting to be released. I have no idea what’s going on outside. I am just being held in isolation.”

We pray for Warren Rodwell's unconditional and immediate release.

A copy of the video is below the fold.

December 20, 2012

December 17, 2012

You'll have to put on your RT anti-commie filter to watch this but the fact is that Anhar Kochneva is being held hostage in Syria and her fate is likely not favorable.

We demand that all non combatants, and especially females be released and given safe passage out of Syria.

We also pray for the safety of Anhar Kochneva as well that the Lord comfort her family.

Update: The whereabouts of Senior foreign correspondent Richard Engel, who has been reporting from Syria recently, is also currently unknown. NBC is said to be observing a news blackout on his status if it is known.

November 08, 2012

NYT's:

Anhar Kochneva is a Ukrainian reporter and interpreter who is known for defending President Bashar al-Assad on Syrian TV. She was kidnapped outside the city of Homs in early October and is believed to be held by elements of the Free Syrian Army, according to Reporters Without Borders. The group says that she is one of four reporters recently abducted in Syria. This brief video, posted and translated by a pro-government YouTube user, is the first message released since her abduction.

October 12, 2012

Via Montreal Gazette

A Canadian man and an American woman, both civilians, have reportedly been abducted by gunmen in Afghanistan.

Citing anonymous sources, a media report from that country indicated the pair was kidnapped while travelling from eastern Ghazni province to the[note...the sentence wasn't completed..ed]

Afghan government officials have not yet commented on the incident, said the report by Khaama Press

A resident of the area said on condition of anonymity that the kidnap victims were an American woman and a Canadian man. They were seized by the Taliban between Shashgaw and Salar areas of Syedabad district on Wednesday.

A Taliban commander in Syedabad, meanwhile, confirmed the abduction of the foreigners by the fighters. However, he refused to give details.

h/t @milnews_ca

October 02, 2012

Here is a video of Austin Tice posted on the internet, an American journalist in Syria who went missing some time ago. It is the first public proof of life that we've seen of him.

I just watched a CNN International report on the video, which raises doubts as to just who is holding Tice. The inference is that while the video does show Tice, that since the captors are not wearing the right clothes for Syria, that it's some kind of put on my the Syrian government to make the opposition look bad. However, given that there are thousands of Islamist radicals who have come from abroad to Syria in order to fight the Assad regime, it's not clear to me why they wouldn't be wearing clothes that were ... un-Syrian?

Whoever is holding Tice, the video does make them look bad. From the shouts of "Takfir!" and the replies of "Allahu akbar", this seems very much a precursor to the hostage being murdered. It's a mantra, a kind of way to psych one self up to the horror of taking an innocent life.

And Tice's reaction seems to indicate that at least he believes that he is about to be murdered.

This is not good.

The video below is not graphic, but its implications are upsetting. Let's pray that the "mujahideen" here are only trying to scare the American hostage. The alternative is horrible.

June 20, 2012

France24:

Three months after the killings of Toulouse and Montauban in which Mohamed Merah had killed seven people, many individuals are being held hostage in a bank in the Pink City by a man claiming allegiance to al Qaeda.

Nothing to see here, move along. Nope not a thing. Racists!

Update: One of the four hostages have been released.

Update II: The situation has been resolved and the hostages are safe and the terrorist was only slightly wounded. Some are describing him as a mental case, we're glad to see the press as finally come around to the idea that support of Islamic terrorist groups is a mental disorder.

June 02, 2012

Video via The Sun:

More:

Johnston was kidnapped along with Moragwa Oirere, a 26-year-old Kenyan, and the two Afghans while visiting aid sites in Badakhshan province on May 22. The four work for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organization based near Lausanne, Switzerland.

The rescue operation was carried out by British troops in cooperation with other NATO and Afghan forces, Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street in London. He said it was "extraordinarily difficult" to decide to go ahead with the operation, which involved a "long route march" without being discovered.

Why the hell are aid workers EVEN in the terrorist hellhole of Afghanistan? I'm glad they are safe, but.......

May 31, 2012

Details of the rescue attempt are still sketchy, Edgar Fritz Raupach was abducted in January by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrab aka AQIM (kidnapping is their modis operandi). Last month, these terrorists released this video showing Mr Raupach pleading for his life:

Via BBC.

A German engineer abducted in January by gunmen in northern Nigeria has been killed during a failed rescue bid, security sources say.

Edgar Fritz Raupach was seized in the city of Kano.

In March, a British and an Italian hostage were also killed during a similar attempt to free them by British and Nigerian forces.

The latest developments came as the authorities said an Italian engineer had been kidnapped western Nigeria.

May these terrorists be sploded, soon

Previous:
Video: Save My Life: Message From Edgar Fritz Raupach Prisoner Of Al-Qaeda

Update: According to this it wasn't a rescue attempt, the bast**ds stabbed him to death thinking it was a rescue attempt:

KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Kidnappers stabbed a captive German engineer to death Thursday as soldiers unaware of the hostage's presence raided a home in northern Nigeria, officials said, five months after his abduction by proclaimed al-Qaida-linked terrorists.

The killing of Edgar Fritz Raupach came as authorities acknowledged the kidnapping of an Italian working for a construction company, part of an increasing number of abductions targeting expatriates working in Nigeria's north and central regions.

Soldiers launched a raid Thursday morning in Kano, the northern city where gunmen abducted Raupach on Jan. 26 following a major terrorist attack there that killed at least 185 people. The mission targeted a home that soldiers suspected held "an ongoing meeting of senior commanders of the terrorist element," military spokesman Lt. Iweah Ikedichi said in a statement.

May 09, 2012

I'm totally disgusted this diarist would use Mr Weinstein's hostage situation like this.

Daily Kos: Terrorist Prefer Bush[Newsbusters]

Over at Daily Kos, "Zenox" wants the online world to know that President Obama is much, much scarier to Islamic terrorists than President Bush ever was. The worry is that al-Qaeda has "decided to make a showcase of a U.S. aid worker ( Warren Weinstein) kidnapped in Pakistan in 2011" and this "hostage who happens to be a Jewish American (I am guessing from his name)" is a trap to sabotage Obama's re-election.

We're assured "The Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamists do not want Barack Obama to get re-elected. Period. And frankly who could blame them? They had it pretty good during the Bush years." (Italics theirs.)More....]

Who in the hell is "Taliban al-Qaeda Islamists"?

Of course they want the Republicans back in power and they are going to do everything in their power to sabotage Barack Obama’s re-election bid, including this recent trap they have set up against him. Really, did we, even one minute, think that they would want Obama, their nemesis, to get re-elected?

Furthermore, I swear, these Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamists (somehow lumped the way the right wing think tank meme fabricators lump Hitler, Socialist, Kenyan, Muslim, for example) wouldn’t be able to find more friendlier media than the current U.S. media, thus from the looks of it, they got it pretty good so far.

h/t LipBash

May 06, 2012

Obama, try telling this man that the war against terrorism is over:

Mr Weinstein, a 70-year-old American aid worker, was kidnapped in Pakistan in August of last year. This is the second video al Qaeda Central has released and, quite frankly, I am surprised [happily so!] that Mr. Weinstein is still alive.

These are the demands for his release:

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.

h/t Greg H & Sami S

UPDATE: Which we, here at the Jawa Report, expected - "no negotiations." Negotiating with terrorists is a no win situation: U.S. won't negotiate with al Qaeda on American hostage Warren Weinstein

(AP) WASHINGTON - The White House says the Obama administration does not and will not negotiate with al Qaeda even though it is concerned about the safety and well-being of a 70-year-old American aid worker kidnapped in Pakistan nine months ago.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration condemns the kidnapping of Warren Weinstein and called for his immediate release.

Carney said he did not believe the president had seen the video[WTF?..Obama playing CYA, again?..ed]. He said the government would continue to make efforts to have Weinstein released.

A woman who answered the phone Monday at a number listed for Weinstein in Rockville, Md., said she had no comment when an Associated Press reporter identified herself. Phone messages left for Weinstein's relatives were not immediately returned.[Leave them alone...gawd..ed]

Previous:
Al Qaeda Holding American Civilian Hostage
American kidnapped in Pakistan UPDATE: Warren Weinstein

April 30, 2012

This would be the same Abu Qatada who claims he isn't a member of al Qaeda. This really helps his case, right?

"The initiative to the British Government is to release its citizen Stephen Malcolm, who also has South African nationality, if it deports Abu Qatada to one of the ‘Arab Spring’ countries," the statement read. "If Britain ignores this offer it will bear the consequences of handing Abu Qatada to the Jordanian government."

April 20, 2012

I read this on Huffington Post yesterday. Shaima Alawadi's daughter Fatima was involved in an incident where she jumped out of her mom's car after being caught with a boy. Its also known that Fatima wanted to marry this boy who turns out to be an Iraqi Chaldean Christian against the wishes of her family who had arranged for her to marry someone else.

The person who witnessed the incident and called police also wrote an online posting about it on a website before Shaima Alawadi was murdered.

Huffpo: When college student Enrique Cervantes wrote an essay about seeing two people having sex in a car in front of his house, he never expected that it might shed light on a murder investigation.

However, that story -- submitted as part of an oral history of El Cajon, a city just east of San Diego -- may help explain the murder of Iraqi refugee Shaima Alawadi, and offer a possible motive for her family members.

A few months after the vehicle incident and two months prior to Alawadi's death, Cervantes wrote about seeing Alhimidi in the car for SoSayWeAll.com, a San Diego-based nonprofit that is currently collecting "a people's history of East San Diego County."

Cervantes said he saw two people having sex in front of his house in the middle of the day and called the police.

Before police arrived, Cervantes went to the car to warn them and saw a teenage girl in a hijab with a man who looked to be in his early 20s. His piece describes the encounter:

The guy saw me coming and adjusted his pants. The girl pulled a blanket over her legs and smiled, her cheeks blossoming into red. What the f***, I almost said out loud. She was wearing one of those things on her head that Muslims wear. It was light purple; it looked nice on her skin. Her skin was brown as mine. It looked nice with that shade of purple, like an Egyptian princess.

I for one doubt he will return of his own free will and its likely that his story will play sympathetically to the Iraqis should he be indicted. Getting extradition will be a challenge.

Also Fatima Alawadi is in danger. ts likely that Kassim will stand to benefit financially from the arranged marriage of 17 year old Fatima, who is quickly approaching the age of consent, wants to marry the Chaldean Christian, Yacub.

Besides forced marriage against her will its also possible that Fatima's virginity or lack thereof could become an issue. We already know there may have already been one honor killing in the family, no?

The previous story of a hate crime against Muslims because of a note at the crime scene that was parroted by CAIR and many media outlets gave cover for Hassim to leave the country.

Where is CAIR and all those media outlets now? They are suddenly silent.

April 18, 2012

Italy claims they didn't pay a ransom. I don't believe it. But I'm glad she's back:

An Italian tourist held captive in the Sahara desert region for 14 months by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb returned to Italy on Wednesday, a day after her release in Burkina Faso.

Looking visibly thinner, 54-year-old Maria Sandra Mariani was greeted by her son and sister at Ciampino airport in Rome. She was then taken to the prosecutor's office and the foreign ministry for debriefings.

April 04, 2012

He was kidnapped in January of this year by AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb)[sorry bout that] Kidnapping is their modis operandi. The video, with a message of their demands, is posted on the jihadi forums [yes, they are back up, hence the statement repeat]

...."This is a special message to the old lady of Germany [Chancellor Angela] Merkel... you should learn from what happened in France,"

Let's hope he is released unharmed, negotiating with terrorists is a no win situation..

h/t Blazing Cat Fur

:
أطلقوا سراح"أم سيف الله الأنصارية" نطلق لكم أسيركم
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ ـــــTo the German Government:
Release ‘Umm Sayf Allah Al-Ansariya,’ We’ll Release Your Prisonerـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ ـــــ

In the name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Compassionate

Praise God that said: And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of tho se who, being weak, are illtreated. Men, women, and children, whose cry is "Our Lord! rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from Thee One who will protect; and raise for us from Thee one who will help", and prayer and peace upon our master Muhammad and upon his pure family and companions, and thereafter:

We heard about the tragedy that the oppressed Muslim sister ‘Umm Sayf Allah Al-Ansariya’ (Phyllis Loftis) is living in the prisons of the Crusader Germany, and we were saddened, just as every free Muslim was saddened, by the confirmed news that mentioned her facing a very bad treatment, such as forcing her to take off her Hijab and humiliating her dignity with insults and beating, and forbidding her from the basic rights. And these are numerous injustices the country that claims to respect human rights is practicing against a weakened woman whose only crime is that she supported the just affairs of her Muslim Ummah.

And we, from the base of supporting the weakened Muslims in earth’s east and west, and in seeking to defend the oppressed, inform the country of Germany the following:

One. We inform you that your citizen ‘Edgar Fritz Raupach’ is held captive by the Mujahideen of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

Two. We demand that you release the sister ‘Umm Sayf Allah Al-Ansariya’ from prison and compensate her financially for the damages she faced due to your injustices, and award her the freedom whether to stay [in Germany] or receive political asylum in a country that protects her rights and dignity. And in exchange for that we will release your citizen.

Three. We warn you that the correct course of the negotiations file over this prisoner requires speed from you and not avoid preservation of his life. Also on this occasion, you should learn from the recent lesson taught to Britain by the Mujahideen…as the disingenuous act of her government and the wrong course of the negotiations file caused the death of the British and Italian captives.

Four. We have attached along with this statement a video-recorded outcry by your prisoner in which he demands you to preserve his life.

And in the end, we call upon the family and friends of the hostage, and the German public opinion, to mobilize quickly and pressure the German government to force it to end the suffering of the oppressed Muslim sister, whose release would be the only guarantee to preserve the life of your prisoner and his free return to you.
(Translated by Al-Akh القرطاص, from Al-Fidaa Network )

March 18, 2012

Apparently, this is the first time Westerners have been kidnapped in Orissa

Maoist rebels have kidnapped two Italians in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, the first time Westerners have been abducted there.

Paulo Bosusco, 54, and Claudio Colangelo, 61, were abducted while trekking in the resort of Daringibadi in Kandhamal, officials said.

A Maoist spokesman accused the pair of photographing bathing women.

The rebels issued a list of demands for the men's release, including freeing top Maoist leaders.

One day after two Swiss hostages escaped from Taliban captivity in Pakistan al-Qaeda in Yemen kidnapped a Swiss teacher in Yemen.

Today al-Qaeda claims to have killed an American that appears related to the case.

Gunmen shot dead an American teacher in the Yemeni province of Taiz on Sunday, two defense ministry officials said.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- the terror network's affiliate in Yemen -- claimed responsibility for the killing.

In a text message sent to Yemeni media outlets, the group said the victim was spreading Christianity to the Yemeni people, calling him one of the biggest missionaries in the country.

Also it might indicate revenge for the escape of the Swiss hostages in Pakistan?

Command and control in Pakistan? Nahhh.

March 17, 2012

Muqtada al Sadr's militiamen say they've released an American "soldier" they've been holding captive for the past nine months. The problem? There are no missing US soldiers in Iraq!

So this guy seems most likely to be a civilian. I think the closest we'll come to a "soldier" is maybe a private security contractor. If that's right, then I wonder if his firm paid a ransom?

The United Nations mission in Iraq says it has taken custody of a man whom two Shiite lawmakers described as a U.S. citizen who was held captive by an Iraqi militia....

Senior Sadrist official Abdul Hadi al-Mutairi said the man was a U.S. soldier named Michael Hill. But the U.S. Army said it does not know of any unaccounted for troops in Iraq. According to some media reports, the man said he was working in a civilian capacity at the time of his abduction.

Update by Howie: Here is video of a press conference held by the Iraqis.

Hat Tip: Dr. Rusty Shackleford.

March 15, 2012

Awesome!

ISLAMABAD (AP) – A Swiss couple held captive by the Taliban in Pakistan since July turned up at an army post close to the Afghan border on Thursday and was flown to safety by the Pakistani military, an army spokesman said.

The Swiss man and woman, who were seized in July in the southwest of the country, were last seen in a militant video in October, saying their captors were threatening to kill them.

Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the couple showed up at an army post in Miran Shah in North Waziristan, an al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold. He said the couple was then flown to Peshawar, the main city in northwestern Pakistan, on an army helicopter.

"They say they escaped from the custody of militants," he said.

Two local Pakistani Taliban commanders said the couple had been freed, but only after an undisclosed ransom had been paid and some Taliban prisoners were released from Pakistani custody. They refused to give their names.

March 08, 2012

And yet, some people call them 'freedom fighters':

One British and one Italian hostage held in Nigeria by kidnappers who claimed links to al-Qaida have been killed during a joint rescue operation, the U.K. prime minister said Thursday.

Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara, who had been working on a bank construction project in the country's restive north, were captured in May. It appeared that both hostages "were murdered by their captors before they could be rescued" by Nigerian and British forces, Prime Minister David Cameron said.

March 07, 2012

March 02, 2012

Officially it's "bail" money, but since they are intentionally skipping bail, let's call it a ransom:

A group of American, European and Palestinian pro-democracy activists accused of fomenting unrest in Egypt left Cairo on a plane after being allowed to post bail, U.S. and Egyptian authorities said....

"The U.S. government has provided a plane to facilitate their departure, and they have left the country," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday.

Nuland said the groups posted bail on behalf of their workers -- an amount that had been set at 2 million Egyptian pounds (about $332,000) each -- and whether they would return to face trial was "an issue that each one of them will have to make their own decision about."

Also, when you pay hostage takers ransom, you know what the lesson they learn is? Take more hostages.