Reuters has just released some breaking news from Al Rai TV in Kuwait in the last few minutes. According to Al Rai, the kidnappers say they will carry out a threat to kill Jill unless their demands are met by a Feb. 26 deadline. The station is citing sources that are "close to her captors."
Kidnappers holding U.S. journalist Jill Carroll say they will carry out a threat to kill her unless their demands are met by a Feb. 26 deadline, Kuwait’s Al Rai TV said on Friday, citing sources close to her captors. In response to a question from Reuters, Al Rai chairman Jassem Boodai declined to specify the kidnappers’ demands … "The demands are specific. We have passed them on to the authorities," Boodai told Reuters.
Source: [Reuters]
Previously Jill said the group was demanding the release of all female detainees held in Iraq and then five were released, but US and Iraqi officials denied any quid pro quo. 450 detainees were released over the last 48 hours in Iraq, but none were women. It is unclear from this statement if there are additional demands and it’s unclear what was in the letter Jill mentioned she was providing in her 9 Feb. video statement. As of today, 10 February 2006, Jill has been held captive 35 days!
UPDATE: Reuters has provided an additional piece of information from Al Rai in an updated version of that same report that indicates that Jill is being kept in the capital with other women:
The private television station said sources reported Carroll was being held in a house in Baghdad along with other women. In the video aired on Thursday by Al Rai, Carroll, 28, was shown wearing a headscarf and apparently composed and in good health — unlike a previous video in which she was distraught.
This was detailed a bit further in a quote from the Associated Press: "People close to the kidnappers told the private TV channel earlier Friday that Carroll is "in a safe house owned by one of the kidnappers in downtown Baghdad with a group of women," Jassem Boudai told The Associated Press."
UPDATE 2: This Associated Press report is quite insightful regarding the media movement that’s occurred with this latest tape. It also adds some additional information and provides one of the best analysis articles about the use of media in this whole terrible mess, confirming the fact that Aljazeera exercised considerable editorial control over release of the tapes so as not to provide an open mic to whomsoever perpetrates these actions. In other words, as mentioned before, there was audio on the tapes preceeding this one, but they chose not to air it.
But, as the story highlights, smaller outfits, like Al Rai, have an interest in putting these things out there to make a name for themselves, acting as a conduit for ner-do-wells. Also of note: the off-the-record Jazeera employee who confirmed that there was mention made of "letters" being sent in the other two videos. Here’s the story in full:
Carroll’s Iraqi kidnappers change channels in bid for more prominence
By Paul Garwood
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – Kidnappers of journalist Jill Carroll have chosen a new TV station to broadcast their videotapes in a bid to promote their demands more effectively and increase pressure on the U.S. government, security experts said Friday. The third and latest tape, which appeared on a Kuwaiti station late Thursday, also gave new hope that the 28-year-old freelance reporter for The Christian Science Monitor is alive. The American was kidnapped Jan. 7 in Baghdad by gunmen who shot and killed her translator. The first two videotapes of Carroll in captivity were aired last month on Al-Jazeera television, but the station did not carry her voice.
The private Kuwaiti station Al-Rai broadcast the new 22-second video in its entirety and with Carroll’s voice. She spoke of having sent two letters but did not say to whom. "I am with the mujahedeen," she said. "I sent you a letter written by my hand, but you wanted more evidence, so we are sending you this letter now to prove I am with the mujahedeen."
An Al-Jazeera employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make statements for the station, confirmed the first two videos referred to a letter. The station did not mention any letters when it aired the videotapes. It did report that the kidnappers were demanding the release of women held prisoner in Iraq.
Al-Rai owner Jassem Boudai said his station has given U.S.authorities Carroll’s letter, which he only described as "sensitive." The station didn’t reveal its contents, he said, out of concern for the reporter. Some terror analysts said Carroll’s kidnappers used the relatively unknown station to get more of its message across and to avoid being tainted by Al-Jazeera’s reputation as being biased toward insurgents.
Al-Jazeera came under sharp criticism for airing videos showing al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, with hostages they soon beheaded. The station cut the tape when masked gunmen drew knives and moved toward their doomed victims. Since then, Al-Jazeera has sought to air just enough material for news value without appearing to be a conduit for gruesome propaganda. Station policy is not to carry the voices of hostages.
"There are a lot of question marks for insurgents at Al-Jazeera because they don’t air all their tapes in entirety, or not immediately or sometimes not at all," said Mustafa al-Ani, director of terrorism studies at Gulf Research Center in the United Arab Emirates." But these small stations will jump at such opportunities because they aren’t famous," he said. "Very few people had heard of Al-Rai before that tape, but now people all over the United States know it."
Another senior Al-Jazeera editor concurred, saying Carroll’s kidnappers had found it impossible to get their demands aired fully because of his station’s strict content policies. He said the kidnappers wanted to make their demands clear and used Al-Rai to do so. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make statements for Al-Jazeera.
A top U.S. media analyst said being able to get their messages out in their entirety will have an impact on the American public, and could put pressure on officials to question the Bush administration’s approach to the war in Iraq. "These videos will prompt us to feel fear, hope, heightened anger or frustration about a matter as viewers will have little control over, and this could lead us to putting more pressure on our public officials," said Bob Steele of the Florida-based Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
On this whole “Jill Carroll Abduction” ordeal. The more I read into this, the more I can’t help but laugh and call BS. She’s either really stupid or dying to be a martyr.
Let’s break a few things down and we’ll see what we can come up with.
Her first picture: She’s still dressed as an American but does that look like the face of a woman abducted at gunpoint by terrorists? Her face looks a little routine, if you ask me. She looks like she’s getting the first stage of the hoax out of the way and she’s just making a brief appearance. If this were truely a kidnapped woman, taken at gunpoint by terrorists, my guess is she’d be crying hysterically and begging for her life. But ask yourself a few questions.
Having seen what happens to “freelance” folks in Iraq, even to some contractors, why would you venture into the middle of a war zone without a destination and without a set purpose? And if I get the libertard answer that “one person can make a difference” I’m gonna puke. Any idiot knows if they go into a war zone without a calling, their chances of getting killed are huge. So, if this is real, did she ask for this? Yes, just like Nick Berg did.
She claimed to have been kidnapped at gunpoint and that her translator was killed. Having seen yesterday’s news, we learn that, in fact, her translator was not killed. The rumor that the translator was killed sure was a good way to make this hoax look seriously real. But where’s the translator? He hightailed it outta there because this is Jill Carroll’s stage. This is her spotlight. We can’t have a woman and a translator dying for Arab women. We can only have an American woman die.
Once again, in a world, in a religion where women are hated and treated like dogs, why would “terrorists” be demanding the release of women? What’s more is if they hate women so badly, why are “terrorists” sparing Carroll’s life?
Why is the release of female prisoners such a priority if we just released 5 of them and the US is only holding 6 more? This “kidnapping” is about 6 detained females? 6 females hated by their society and religion? Can it get any more ridiculous than that?
If her “terrorist captives” hate women so badly and we haven’t met their demands, why hasn’t she been killed? I thought terrorists were hardcore killers? But they’re holding out for 6 women?
Who are these “sources close to the kidnappers” who are giving all this information?
If the captors are serious about this ordeal and she’s in such danger, why would these unknown sources reveal that she’s in a “safe house” owned by one of the kidnappers in downtown Baghdad? Can’t we trace stuff like that? Don’t we have the capability of locating a house where hostages are being held? Of course we do, so why would they reveal that much info? Because she’s not there, they’re not terrorists and this whole thing is a hoax.
What exactly is a “safe house” where terrorists hold Americans hostage and threaten to slaughter them? I didn’t hear Nick Berg’s captors tell anyone he was being held in a “safe house.”
Jill Carroll tells America to “give the terrorists whatever they want.” Right? But the report we get says the kidnappers have “more specific demands than releasing all women from jail,” ‘but refused to disclose these demands.'” Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
If you put a deadline on someone’s life that if you didn’t get all your demands met by that time you’d kill them, why wouldn’t you release the details of all your demands? Possibly because they need to think of some more? Possibly related to females in that area? Mark my words, they’ll have no other demands unless they’re related to women.
Her kidnappers say they have to kill her “according to Islamic law.” What exactly is this Islamic law and why would women freelance into this land if Islamic law requires them to be killed?
Her kidnappers claim Carroll is in “good psychological condition.” Are you kidding me? Terrorists now give a damn about a captive’s state of mind? Even after they’ve put out a deadline until their murder? And who did this psych eval? Do they have doctors in the “safe house,” tending to captives who are going to be killed?
NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!
The report also says Carroll is “doing housework with the other women in the place where she’s being held.” Again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! She’s doing housework because she’s not a captive. Why would a terrorist disclose that information anyway? This sounds like Queer Eye For The Terrorist Guy. They’ve given her a makeover, she’s wearing Arab clothing now, she’s doing housework………where does it end? Will this ever begin to look like a real kidnapping?
And finally, I know my family’s response even when I was in the military and spent 277 days in a combat zone, but let’s take a civilian’s family into the spotlight this time. What would your family say to you if you came home from work one day and told them you were going to Iraq to “make a difference?” They’d beg you not to go because it’s not safe, it’s a combat zone, it’s a terrorist’s haven and you WILL GET YOURSELF KILLED!
Ignoring those facts, are you just asking to die if you’re untrained for a combat zone but go anyway? Yes. You are asking to be killed.
And mark my words, ladies and gentlemen. If Jill Carroll ends up dead, it will be because of one thing and one thing only………….
It’ll be a choreographed killing, planned out to look real but ultimately make Jill Carroll look like a martyr for the Arab Woman. I can see it now.
“Poor Jill Carroll. She was killed because 6 Arab women weren’t released from US custody. Damn that President Bush. He doesn’t give in to terrorist’s demands and doesn’t release terror suspects. He killed Jill Carroll. Poor Jill Carroll. ”
Sounds nice, huh?
She’ll die by her own hands. Sure, someone else may do the actual killing and they may even get it on video tape, but this whole ordeal is a hoax and if she dies it’ll be because she has requested it to “send a message.” My guess? The U.S. won’t give in to some lame terrorist group staging a kidnapping and Jill Carroll will miraculously escape or be rescued because they’ll finally realize they’re fighting a losing battle. She’ll either have to gather the guts of a martyr and actually die for the Arab woman’s cause or they’ll dream up some stupid rescue or escape story.
Thank you for calling the Iraqi helpdesk.
Due to a grater than normal bombing volume;
All of our Muslim operators are busy with the invading US army.
Please stay on the line and a certified agent will be with you momentarily.
Where are all these supposed Muslims who preach peace and tolerance coming out to denounce the harm of an innocent woman? It’s obvious that most of these people seem to agree with the policies and terrorism given the fact that none speak out in public against these tactics. Everyone should really take a deep and hard look at a religion that was supposedly “hijacked” by extremists and form their own conclusions!
I agree, Jack — you should take a look at the facts before you jump to conclusions. The Christian Science Monitor has a list of statements of support for Jill Carroll, including from Muslim groups.
I can only pray for her safe release, but I have to say that I don’t have much hope. The people who take hostages in this situation have no qualms about killing them, from what I have seen. For the person who made the remark about Cyndi Sheehan. She may be abrasive. But I would be the world’s most abrasive bitch if my son were killed fighting a war where it is questionable if the U.S. took the right action and even more questionable why we are still there. Try to have some compassion for someone who suffered the worst loss any person can endure.
Peace.
not to sound mean but the liberal left has lost all common sense, hey people Iraq is currently a war zone, and during wars there are kidnappings and executions by the enemy, it has been that way since humans first started civilisation, do you think because you are a journalist with a camera and a story to tell will make you immune to enemy actions???
i was hoping Cindi Shehan would get a job as a journalist and go visit Iraq too :^)
Ack! It’s so frustrating to think there are “sources close to the kidnappers” who know exactly where she is being held, but are not taking us there! How are they communicating this information?
Where are all these supposed Muslims who preach peace and tolerance coming out to denounce the harm of an innocent woman? It’s obvious that most of these people seem to agree with the policies and terrorism given the fact that none speak out in public against these tactics. Everyone should really take a deep and hard look at a religion that was supposedly “hijacked” by extremists and form their own conclusions!
Kidnappers Set New Deadline for Jill Carroll
Chairman of the Kuwaiti television channel Al Rai, Jassem Boudai announced Friday that specific demands from the kidnappers of American Journalist Jill Carroll have been passed on to authorities via the network. The kidnappers threaten to kill Carroll …
OK Natasha, we now have a little over 2 weeks. Please email me back so we can get something going here in the states in support of Jill. It’s nice to be updated all the time, and I have to say your updates are the most timely, but we have to do something NOW!! Thanks, her cousin, Donna M.Pauly
Jill Carroll: kidnappers threaten to kill, again
J. Scott Tynes says: There is breaking new from Al Rai TV in Kuwait that’s just come in here in the last five minutes. According to Al Rai, the kidnappers say they will carry out a threat to kill Jill unless their demands are met by a Feb. 26 deadline….