An Australian freed last week after being held hostage by Iraqi insurgents for 47 days apologized yesterday to US President George W. Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard for mouthing the words of his captors and calling on coalition troops to quit Iraq.
Douglas Wood, speaking to reporters after touching down in Melbourne, said his blast at the Iraq war contained in a video released during his confinement was made under duress.
"I actually believe that I am proof positive that the current policy of training the Iraqi army ... works because it was Iraqis that got me out," the 63-year-old engineer said. He said he would consider returning to Iraq to continue work as an independent contractor.
Wood, an expatriate for 40 years, lives in Alamo, California, with his US wife, Yvonne Given. He was freed last Wednesday. Iraqi troops on a routine search for weapons found him underneath a grubby blanket in a Baghdad house.
Wood, who was accompanied by Given and brothers Vernon and Malcolm, said certain aspects of his ordeal were still too painful to talk about. He called his captors "arseholes" and said his treatment at their hands had been "a bit intimidating."
He was kicked in the head, given a black eye and had his head shaved in apparent preparation for execution. He was bound and blindfolded most of the time and fed on bread and water. He recalls being moved from one house to another 10 days into his ordeal.
The jovial and still rotund engineer, who had worked in Iraq for a year before being seized, said the identity of his abductors was still a mystery.
"I didn't know whether it was al-Qaeda or who it was," he said. "Obviously, my head is intact, so it wasn't al-Qaeda."
Wood, whose family had offered a "large charitable donation" if his life were spared, was clearly happy to be among family and friends in his hometown. He entered the Melbourne airport press conference singing Waltzing Matilda, the song that serves as the country's alternative national anthem.
"I love my family, and I knew that they'd be doing as much as they could to get me out," he said.
Wood has sold his story to an Australian television station for an undisclosed sum. Filming began even before he left the Middle East.
Given said she never lost faith her globetrotting husband would be rescued.
"I'm so excited and so happy and very, very grateful to the Australian government," she said after flying in with him from their reunion in Dubai.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
RSS