NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, this is mighty weird.
I'm sitting here (in Australia) and on the SBS news they just said Australian Hostage Douglas Wood, captured in Iraq in May, was freed by troops. With battle and all the rest of it.
On Dateline, just a few minutes before, a spokesperson for the Australian Mufti, who was working for a release, said that Wood was freed by his captors.

Who's right? Could the Australian Government be trying to play down the role negotiations (and money) may have played in his release, and instead tell people he was freed by brute force?
Or could it just be a misunderstanding?

Or is it me, am I just imagining things again?

The Iraqi government has in the past declared that it freed a hostage who later turned up dead. Apparently they were embarrassed about the fact that he was kidnapped and so just said that he was freed. I don't know where they got the idea that it's okay to lie.

It's better news if Wood was freed by the millitary. They're not too worried about the truth and the U.S. might get upset if they think the government is negotiating.

Considering the Mufti's statements in the past, I doubt he's being honest.

6 days ago, al-Hilaly left Iraq saying he'd done all he could.

I think the Sheikh was in it for himself, to get some good publicity (for a change)

I've just been watching the telly, and of course I have no idea of what really happened, but it seems reasonable that no one is lying. A drop off spot could have been arranged and then a millitary operation picked him up from that spot.

Of course I stress I'm not in Iraq and have only had a cursory interest in this kidnapping. I'm just this guy/guyette on the internet, ya know?

I ran into the same problem when I started my thread on the same subject, here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=425905). As I understand it, news of his release was available before news of the military operation and so the media did not know how he was released so they just used the word 'freed' to try and be general.

Damned computer for eating the message I had typed here before! It basically said I ran into the same problems when creating my thread on the same subject, here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=425905) because news of his release was available before news of how he was released because the government made it's first priority after his security notifying his family.

All bets are off.

It just broke on TEN News. Wood was freed during a house-to-house search by Iraqis and US forces. First question he asked was how Geelong was going.

All the rescuing troops are getting Australian honours.

All bets are off.

It just broke on TEN News. Wood was freed during a house-to-house search by Iraqis and US forces. First question he asked was how Geelong was going.

A man with his priorities intact!

Then he asked for VB!

And then he went on TV yelling "God Bless America" and immediatly lost all my sympathy again...

something i heard is that the sas found he was there and went in for the safety of informers nothing is told about it.