The Kuwaiti transport company that employs seven foreign drivers seized by guerrillas in Iraq said yesterday it would do all it could to win their release and prevent the kidnappers carrying out a threat to kill them.
"Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company will take all appropriate measures to secure the release of the drivers who were detained in Iraq yesterday," a company statement said.
Video footage given to news organizations showed the seven men, looking tired and afraid, stating their name and nationality to the camera. Their captors say they will behead them one by one unless their employer pulls out of Iraq.
The announcement of their kidnapping on Wednesday sparked a new hostage crisis just a day after guerrillas freed a Filipino driver following Manila's capitulation to their demands.
The guerrillas also demanded that India, Kenya and Egypt withdraw their citizens from Iraq. None of the countries are part of the US-led military coalition in Iraq, but many of their nationals work as drivers and contractors.
"If they carry out their threat it would be a serious development. We condemn this incident. We hope that the dark period does not last long," Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh said in Islamabad, where he is attending a conference.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Chi-rau Ali Mwakwere said his country "will do everything possible to get them back home."
The wife of one of the Kenyans, father of four Ibrahim Khamis, said the family was praying for his safe return.
"He predicted difficulties in his line of work but was determined to go ahead with it. He decided to stay despite the dangers to work for the sake of his family," Esha Nyarimbo Mwandighi told reporters.
In the latest violence, during hours of fighting in the rebellious western city of Ramadi on Wed-nesday, US Marines killed 25 guerrillas, wounded 17 and captured 25, the US military said in a statement.
It said 13 US Marines and one soldier were wounded in the clashes but none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Also see story:
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. Philippine authorities were assessing the damage from the quake, with the office of civil defense seeking to verifying initial reports that 15 people had been killed and 129 injured in the region, mostly from falling debris. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province,
‘GRAY ZONE’ PRESSURE: Beijing’s activities are intended to create the deceitful impression that China has jurisdiction over the area around Taiwan, the CGA said Taiwan’s rights over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone must not be violated by any country, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that it will not accept any unprovoked actions. The council issued the remarks in response to the China Coast Guard conducting maritime enforcement drills near eastern Taiwan and claiming to fully exercise China’s maritime administrative law enforcement authority. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been closely monitoring the situation and is taking concrete steps to defend the nation’s sovereignty and secure its waters, the council said. China has no sovereign rights over the waters off eastern
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RSS