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Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2004

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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.

 

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