IslamMemo
Tuesday, June 22, 2004, 8:10pm Mecca
time Italy paid $4
million ransom to Green Brigade for release of
Italian hostages, contrary to Rome's
claims.  Eric
Mueller comments: HERE's an item from an Islamist website
which has a correspondent on the ground in
al-Fallujah, who has produced personal
reports of the fighting in that area from
the Resistance perspective -- including
reports indicating that he was in the
firing line itself.
He is obviously on good
terms with the Resistance and therefore
privy to some inside
information. Arabist Eric Mueller
is this website's expert on Middle Eastern
affairs. |
THE correspondent for Mafkarat
al-Islam website (www.islammemo.cc)
reported on Tuesday that Italian reports that Italy
secured the release of Italian hostages without
bargaining with the Resistance organization holding
the four Italian prisoners are false.Mafkarat al-Islam has learned that the Italian
authorities in Rome sent a delegation to Iraq to
offer a sizable ransom to the Resistance. The
Resistance organization, however, initially
rejected the offer of money. After that rejection,
a delegation was dispatched by the Vatican that
negotiated with a number of the Resistance fighters
of al-Fallujah who played the role of go-betweens
in arrangements with the organization holding the
Italians hostage. According to sources in al-Fallujah, two of the
Italian hostages were Italian Jews working with the
Zionist Mossad,
one of them with the rank of Colonel. Prior to
coming to Iraq, he had been sent by the Mossad to
numerous places around the world where Islamic
rebellions were being suppressed, including the
Philippines, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. The other Italian
Zionist agent reportedly held the rank of major,
and his experience was largely in repressing the
Palestinian Intifadah in the territories
occupied by the Zionists in 1967. Apparently the Vatican delegation was able to
convince the kidnappers to accept a ransom of US$4
million on condition that the three hostages never
return to Iraq. By way of background in the case, it will be
remembered that an Iraqi Resistance group by the
name of the Green Brigade detained four Italians
ostensibly working for a US mercenary "security"
company in Iraq some two months ago. The Green
Brigade demanded at the time that the Italian
regime of Silvio Berlusconi pledge to
withdraw Italian troops from Iraq, and to set a
specific time table for that pull out. The Green
Brigade also demanded that Berlusconi apologize for
insulting remarks he had made against Islam and
that Islamic religious leaders in US occupation
custody be released if the four Italian hostages
were to be set free. Berlusconi asserted, however, that a withdrawal
of Italian forces from Iraq was not "open for
discussion." In response, the Green Brigade executed one of
the Italian captives as a "lesson for those who
might take heed." On Tuesday, 8 June 2004, the Italians were
released as per the agreement mentioned above and
departed for Italy. | ![[]](../../std/dings/list.gif){kind=small}
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