Jill Caroll - her fate remains uncertain
Kidnappers have demanded that all women prisoners be released from US custody in the latest in a series of kidnappings in Iraq. The demand came with the release of footage to the Arabic TV station of American Christian Science Monitor journalist Jill Caroll [CNN]. There has been little information forthcoming since her capture 10 days ago [January 7th] by the ‘Brigade of Revenge’, a previously unknown insurgent group. A friend of Jill speaking on CNN said she had “tried to blend in” and that she had not taken unnecessary risks. More than 36 journalists have been kidnapped in Iraq since hostilities stated in March 2003. “It’s dangerous all the time everywhere,” said Dexter Filkins of the New York Times, who has been in the country for several months. Michael Holmes, working for CNN, also spoke of the dangers and said he “was forever on alert” and looking over his shoulder. There was some good news; the sister of an interior minister was release unharmed on Tuesday. But there still remains uncertainty over the well being of others held captive. There has been no news of four kidnapped Westerners taken in November. Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Virginia, USA, James Loney, 41, of Toronto, Canada, Norman Kember, 74, from Britain, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 of Toronto, Canada were kidnapped in western Baghdad on Saturday 26th November 2005. All were part of Chicago based Christian Peacemakers Team, but besides repeated efforts from relatives and church representatives, nothing has been heard from their captors since a deadline expired in early December. Meanwhile the violence in the country continues. Seventeen Iraqis were killed in several attacks Tuesday and 11 bodies have been found in a mass grave north of the capital Baghdad.
[18:13 GMT 18/01/2006]
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