By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF, Associated Press Writer
CAIRO, Egypt - Armed Iraq insurgents threatened to kill a Filipino hostage if his country does not withdraw from Iraq, according to a video that aired Wednesday. The Philippines responded hours later by ordering a halt to further deployment.
let us pray na lang po na sana hindi sana siya mapugutan ng ulo at sana palayain siya ng buhay.
my sympathies with the family...talagang iniisa-isa nila yung mga allies ng US to test their resolve.
pilipinas pa lang yata ang narinig ko na bumigay. south korea, uk and turkey all did not negotiate or change their plans.
it's a tough decision - on one hand, you don't want to be the country that always gives in to terrorists. on the other hand, you are essentially sentencing this poor soul to death if you don't give in.
Conflicting talaga yan. Easy to say that not giving in will be for the good of the majority albeit being the kin of the hostaged pinoy will give you a different perspective.
Here's the lowdown... we still haven't responded if we will halt troop deployment. We only halted OFW deployments to Iraq
Taken from CNN:
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MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has barred any more workers from traveling to Iraq, after Arabic news network Al-Jazeera reported that a militant group had kidnapped a Filipino man.
The Islamic militants said the man works for a Saudi company and they have threatened to kill him unless the Philippines withdraws its force from Iraq within 72 hours.
While President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's order applied to contract workers, the government has yet to respond to the kidnappers' demand to withdraw Philippine troops.
But reports of the hostage taking are expected to top the agenda when the Philippine government holds its cabinet meeting Thursday.
The Philippines, a staunch ally of the United States, initially contributed about 100 troops to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.
There are now just over 50 Filipino troops in Iraq, serving as part of a U.N.-mandated, American-led multinational force to assist the Iraqi interim government in providing security.
Meanwhile, at least 4,000 Filipino civilians are working in U.S. military bases in Iraq as cooks, mechanics or in other jobs. The president also offered government help for any workers who wanted to come home.
In a videotaped statement from the group, the hostage is shown kneeling and facing the camera while three masked men stand behind him.
The kidnappers identified themselves as members of the Khaled Bin Al-Walid Squadrons, part of the Islamic Army of Iraq. No information about the group was immediately available.
Neither the hostage nor the man's employer were identified. But his captors also displayed the identification card and firearms permit of an Iraqi security guard they said they have killed already.
Gilberto Asuque, a spokesman for the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, said a team has been established to work with the charge d'affairs in Baghdad.
"Our priority is to establish the identity of the hostage," Asuque said.
The government's Middle East envoy, Ambassador Roy Cimatu, said he was flying to Iraq later on Thursday to assess the situation.
The government has come under pressure from left-wing politicians to withdraw its forces from Iraq and Arroyo said in April that she was considering pulling out the small reconstruction force.
kapampangan pala yung hostage.
na-interview na ang pamilya kaninang umaga at nagmamakaawa yung anak kay GMA na tulungan iligtas ang buhay ng kanilang ama.
hanggang mamayang gabi na lang ang taning na oras. mukhang mapupugutan ang kababayan natin??
Fuel truck driver at based in Saudi ang kawawang OFW.
In transit sya to Iraq nang ma-kidnap.
Gov't must not give in sa demands. Pag ganoon kasi, yong China, pwedeng kumuha ng isang maid sa hongkong, i-hostage yon at sabihing, sa ibigay nyo na ang 3 isla ng spratly's, pag hindi pupugutan namin ito ng ulo.
Kung talagang ayaw ng gulo ng govt. dapat, tigil muna ang deployment ng OFW to Iraq. Kahapon, isang daan, pinaalis pa rin, pero stop-over daw muna sa Dubai.
One Million Jobs sa term ni GMA.... papunta lahat sa Iraq
maybe jolog1 meant no harm in his post, kung muslim nga naman ang nagtrabaho sa Iraq, gagawin din kayang bihag ng mga Iraqi rebels? ang kaso naman dito, hindi taga Iraq yung na hostage, taga Saudi na napag utusan pumunta ng Iraq.