Hostages in Iraq

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From World News:

ROMANIAN HOSTAGES RELEASED

23.5.2005. 10:52:34

The ordeal of three Romanian journalists and their guide held hostage in Iraq for two months has ended, with Bucharest claiming it refused to bow to pressure to withdraw its troops from the country.

President Traian Basescu said Romania hadn’t made foreign policy concessions or paid a ransom to secure the release and that a plane had been sent to bring them home on Monday.

"I assure you that Romania negotiated neither its present and future foreign policy, nor paid a ransom," he said.

Details of their release remained unclear.

The Romanians, a woman and two men, were abducted on March 28 in Baghdad, along with their guide, a businessman with both Iraqi and US citizenship.

The freed hostages are Eduard Ohanesian, a correspondent for the Romania Libera newspaper, Marie Jeanne Ion, a journalist with Prima TV, her cameraman Sorin Miscoci, and their guide Mohamed Munaf.

The Associated Press lists the following individuals currently being held hostage in Iraq:

Rami Daas, 26, a Palestinian student whose family said he was kidnapped May 9 by gunmen in the northern city of Mosul. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia appealed for his release.

Akihito Saito, 44, a Japanese security manager employed by the British company Hart GMSSCO. The Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed in a video on May 9 that they took Saito hostage after ambushing a convoy of foreigners and Iraqi troops in western Iraq. The company confirmed that Saito was missing after an attack on May 8.

Douglas Wood, a 63-year-old Australian engineer living in Alamo, Calif. The Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq claimed in a videotape released May 1 that it had abducted Wood.

Jeffrey Ake, a 47-year-old contract worker from LaPorte, Ind. Abducted April 11 while working at a water treatment plant in the Baghdad area. Seen on a video broadcast two days later.

Nabil Tawfiq Sulieman and Matwali Mohammed Qassem, Egyptian engineers for the firm Unitrak. Abducted on a road west of Baghdad according to a video that surfaced March 19 on an Islamic Web site. The National Movement of the Land of Two Rivers claimed responsibility.

Ibrahim al-Maharmeh, a Jordanian businessman. Kidnapped in Baghdad on March 5. The Jordanian foreign ministry says his captors demanded $250,000 ransom. His brother was abducted earlier and freed after the family paid $50,000 ransom.

Florence Aubenas, a journalist for the French daily Liberation. Disappeared Jan. 5 after leaving her Baghdad hotel. Seen appealing for help on a videotape made public March 1.

Joao Jose Vasconcellos, 55, an engineer from Brazil. Seized in an ambush Jan. 19 en route to Baghdad airport. An Iraqi and a British security contractor die in the attack, which was claimed in a joint statement issued by the Ansar al-Sunnah Army and the Mujaheeden Brigades.

Abdulkadir Tanrikulu, a Turkish businessman. Abducted by gunmen from the Bakhan Hotel in Baghdad on Jan. 13. Reportedly ran a construction company that worked with U.S.-led occupation.

Badri Ghazi Abu Hamzah, a Lebanese businessman. Abduction reported by Lebanese government. Lebanese media quoted his family as saying he was seized on the road to Tikrit Nov. 6, 2004.

Sadeq Mohammed Sadeq, a Lebanese-American who formerly worked for SkyLink USA, a Virginia-based contractor. Kidnapped by gunmen around midnight Nov. 2, 2004, from his home in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood. Shown on a video released Nov. 11.

Roy Hallums, a 56-year-old American, and Robert Tarongoy of the Philippines, workers for a Saudi company that does catering for the Iraqi army. Kidnapped Nov. 1, 2004, from their office in the Mansour district after a gunbattle kills an Iraqi guard and an attacker. A Nepalese and three Iraqis also were abducted but later freed.

Aban Elias, 41, Iraqi-American civil engineer from Denver. Seized May 3, 2004, by Islamic Rage Brigade.

Since Saddam Hussein's regime crumbled in April 2003, more than 200 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq.

In some cases, the kidnappers have sought ransom. Other captors have used their victims as pawns to achieve political ends, such as demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops and companies from Iraq.

More than 30 hostages have been executed by their kidnappers.

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