Douglas Wood

From AP:

Australian hostage pleads on video for U.S.-led forces to leave Iraq
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Iraqi militants have kidnapped an Australian man who pleaded for U.S.-led coalition forces to leave Iraq to save his life, according to a videotape released Sunday.

The tape showed a man identifying himself as Douglas Wood, 63, seated between two masked militants pointing automatic weapons at him.

Wood's American wife, Pearl, told The Associated Press that she had seen the tape and that the man being held was definitely her husband. She said he had been in Iraq about a year and half, working as an engineer.

...The captive appealed to U.S. President George W. Bush, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to order coalition forces out of Iraq and let Iraqis look after themselves, saying he did not want to die.

Howard said Monday he will not negotiate with terrorists.

"Everybody knows the position of the Australian government in relation to hostage demands," Howard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We can't have the foreign policy of this country dictated by terrorists."
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We can add Douglas Wood to the list of More than 150 foreigners that have been kidnapped in Iraq over the past year. Some have been released -- often following a payment of ransom -- but about one third have been killed.
From Reuters:

Following are two lists: of foreigners believed to be held hostage in Iraq and of those who have been killed:

HOSTAGE NATIONALITY DATE OF CAPTURE Mohammed Rifat Canada April 8, 2004 Wael Mamduh Jordan April 12 Saad Saadoun Kuwait June 5 Ali Ahmed Mousa Somalia July 29 Unidentified hostage Jordan Sept 1* Four unidentified hostages Jordan Sept 5* Two unidentified hostages East Asian Sept 13* Khalifa al-Breizat Jordan Sept 14* Two unidentified hostages Turkey Sept 14 One unidentified hostage Syria Sept 16 Unidentified hostage Turkey Oct 9 Two unidentified hostages Turkey Oct 14 Unidentified Somalia Oct 30 Noureddin Zakaria Sudan Oct 30 Roy Hallums U.S. Nov 1 Roberto Tarongoy Philippines Nov 1 Radim Sadiq U.S. Nov 2 Ghazi Abu Hamzeh Lebanon Nov 13* Two unnamed Turkey Dec 25 Two unidentified South Korea Jan 9, 2005* Unidentified Turkey Jan 13 Florence Aubenas France Jan 13* Sayed Abdel Khalek Egypt Jan 13* Joao Jose Vasconcelos Jr. Brazil Jan 19 Mohammed Haroun Hamad Sudan Mar 9* Maher Ataya Sudan Mar 9* Nabil Tawfiq Sulaiman Egypt Mar 19 Mitwali Mohammed Qassem Egypt Mar 19 Marie Jeanne Ion Romania Mar 28 Sorin Miscoci Romania Mar 28 Ovidiu Ohanesian Romania Mar 28 Mohamad Munaf U.S./Romania/Iraq Mar 28 Jeffrey Ake U.S. April 11 Douglas Wood Australia May 1 U.S. Nov 1 Roberto Tarongoy Philippines Nov 1 Radim Sadiq U.S. Nov 2 Ghazi Abu Hamzeh Lebanon Nov 13* Two unnamed Turkey Dec 25 Two unidentified South Korea Jan 9, 2005* Unidentified Turkey Jan 13 Florence Aubenas France Jan 13* Sayed Abdel Khalek Egypt Jan 13* Joao Jose Vasconcelos Jr. Brazil Jan 19 Mohammed Haroun Hamad Sudan Mar 9* Maher Ataya Sudan Mar 9* Nabil Tawfiq Sulaiman Egypt Mar 19 Mitwali Mohammed Qassem Egypt Mar 19 Marie Jeanne Ion Romania Mar 28 Sorin Miscoci Romania Mar 28 Ovidiu Ohanesian Romania Mar 28 Mohamad Munaf U.S./Romania/Iraq Mar 28 Jeffrey Ake U.S. April 11 Douglas Wood Australia May 1ar 28 Jeffrey Ake U.S. April 11 Douglas Wood Australia May 1

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOSTAGE NATIONALITY DATE KILLED Fabrizio Quattrocchi Italy April 14, 2004 Nick Berg U.S. May 11 Hussein Ali Alyan Lebanon June 12 Kim Sun-il South Korea June 22 Keith Matthew Maupin U.S. June 28** Georgi Lazov Bulgaria July 13 Ivailo Kepov Bulgaria July 22# Raja Azad Khan Pakistan July 28 Sajjad Naeem Pakistan July 28 Murat Yuce Turkey Aug 2*** Mohammed Mutawalli Egypt Aug 10*** Enzo Baldoni Italy Aug 26 12 unnamed hostages Nepal Aug 31*** Nasser Juma Egypt Sept 5 Durmus Kumdereli Turkey Sept 13*** Eugene Armstrong U.S. Sept 20*** Akar Besir Turkey Sept 21+ Jack Hensley U.S. Sept 21++ Iyad Anwar Wali Italy-Iraq Oct 2 Yilmaz Dabca Turkey Oct 2 Kenneth Bigley Britain Oct 7 Unidentified Turkey Oct 11*** Ramazan Elbu Turkey Oct 14++ Dalibor Lazarevski Macedonia Oct 18 Dragan Markovic Macedonia Oct 18 Zoran Naskovski Macedonia Oct 18 Shosei Koda Japan Oct 30 Unidentified hostage Jordan Nov 2 Margaret Hassan British-Iraqi Nov 16 Salvatore Santoro Italy Dec 16 Ibrahim Mohammed Ismail Egypt Jan 16, 2005 Six unidentified Sudan April 28++ Sept 20*** Akar Besir Turkey Sept 21+ Jack Hensley U.S. Sept 21++ Iyad Anwar Wali Italy-Iraq Oct 2 Yilmaz Dabca Turkey Oct 2 Kenneth Bigley Britain Oct 7 Unidentified Turkey Oct 11*** Ramazan Elbu Turkey Oct 14++ Dalibor Lazarevski Macedonia Oct 18 Dragan Markovic Macedonia Oct 18 Zoran Naskovski Macedonia Oct 18 Shosei Koda Japan Oct 30 Unidentified hostage Jordan Nov 2 Margaret Hassan British-Iraqi Nov 16 Salvatore Santoro Italy Dec 16 Ibrahim Mohammed Ismail Egypt Jan 16, 2005 Six unidentified Sudan April 28++

NOTE:

+ Turkish TRT TV named victim.

++ Web site statement claimed killing.

* Date kidnap announced.

** Al Jazeera TV showed footage of the killing of a U.S. soldier, but the U.S. military has not confirmed Maupin is dead.

*** Video of killing posted on Web site or aired on television.

# Kepov's body was found on July 22, identified on Aug. 11.
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Kidnapping civilians working on Iraq's reconstruction and taking humanitarian workers hostage shows just how weak and cowardly these terrorists are. They must prey on the unprotected and unarmed.

Pray for those captured and killed. Pray for their loved ones.

Pray for our troops.