Rogue elements of Mehdi army threaten to kill UK hostage

Shia militias have not participated in hostage taking as much as AQI, so I was surprised when I saw this.  I do not know how a computer consultant can be considered a combatant.  How embarrassing for Iraqi Shia to see that some Shia fighters are this cowardly. 

 

Last Updated: 04/12/2007  15:27

Iraq captors threaten to kill UK hostage

Kidnappers holding five Britons seized in Iraq in May threatened to kill one hostage in 10 days as a "first warning" unless Britain withdraws from Iraq, in a video aired by Al Arabiya television today.

The video, dated November 18th, showed a hostage sitting on the floor flanked my masked gunmen pointing assault rifles at him.

A statement said that if Britain failed to leave Iraq within 10 days after it was broadcast, "this hostage will be killed as a first warning, which would be followed with details that you would not want to know".

Britain has not disclosed the names of the five Britons - a computer consultant and his four bodyguards -- who were snatched from a Finance Ministry data processing centre by gunmen wearing police commando uniforms in May.

"My name is Jason. Today is November 18th. I have been here now 173 days and I feel we've been forgotten," said the hostage on the video as he sat in front of a banner of the Shi'ite Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

continued