NEWS: Australian Hostage Pleads For Troop Withdrawal

Douglas Wood, an Australian who resides in the US state of California has pleaded for Australian troops to leave Iraq in a videotape which has been broadcast worldwide. The tape which shows the words "Shura Council of the Mujahedden of Iraq" burned into a corner, has a statement released with it saying that the kidnapping and tape release is timed to coincide with a visit to Iraq by Australia's Defence Minister Robert Hill. The tape begs for President Bush, Arnold Shwarzenneger and John Howard to immediately withdraw their troops from the area.

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Australia's prime Minister John Howard has said today that he refuses to negotiate with the Terrorists and the Woods family have been quoted as saying they trust the government to liase with all agencies to do everything they can to have him released safely.

A retired army colonel has spoken out about the position the kidnapping has on the Australian administation giving them the choice to save this mans life or to keep pushing ahead with the decision to keep the country's troops in Iraq.






Related News Links:
dailytelegraph.news.com.au
www.abc.net.au
www.smh.com.au
cnews.canoe.ca



[edit on 2-5-2005 by Mayet]

Arnold Schwarznneger isn't president yet, and you can forget about Bush or Howard doing anything to save a kidnapped worker.

Do people still think that iraq is a safe business development zone?

just for clarification... if you want to make money by hitting a new market... try someplace besides Iraq... It is not safe there... maybe start a minefield salvage operation... its a little safer...

If you love your family and your children, don't go there... you have a very good chance at being killed.
for clarification... do not go to iraq for business or pleasure... it is a war battleground... people get shot and killed...
if you do go there, don't be surprised to be ignored by your government when you get kidnapped. They see your death as a culling of the stupid flock and don't care...
it strengthens the quality of their gene pool...

I don't mean to sound callous, but civilian business people wouldn't be getting kidnapped if they didn't go there. You don't see iraqis pulling people off of new york subways... so stay in new york. get mugged, not killed...

I am sorry for the attitude, I usually am quite sympathetic...
But it drives me nuts when a family man who CHOOSES... not forced, not asked, not drafted, but chooses to go there...
just plain greedy or stupid or both... or maybe suicidal...


oh, and of course the kidnappers are excrement beyond description... but you can't change that... you can avoid going there...

[edit on 2-5-2005 by LazarusTheLong]

What the heck is Ahnold going to do? Terminate?


imo, the hostage is already dead.

Maybe Eood expects Arnie to come in with guns blazing to rescue him? Other than that i dont see how pleading to the Governator will help...

But seriously, this just goes to show that Iraq is not any safer than it was when the war ended...

Maybe if the troops just left the people fighting to get rid of them would get on with their lives too.

Perfect example thaty Bush's little War on Terror is causing more problems than its solving.

How many more innocent civilians on both sides have to die before this joke of a war is called off?

Been awhile since I've heard any news on hostages being taken in Iraq. just makes me wonder how many there have been and youv'e not heard of in the last few months. And its not like just that one person pleading for troops to leave is going to actually have an effect I send my thoughts to him and his family.

Iraq must be the worst country on this Earth to be in at the moment, some people go there to make lots of money, but its a risk you take. This Australian guy went there knowing the risks and lost out. The Australian government wont help him , they might try special forces but its failed in the past. Common sense says stay out of Iraq but people go there to make money.