Why did the terrorists release their hostage today??

[kentuck]

Kidnapped journalist, Peter Theo Curtis, was handed over to UN peacekeepers today. He had been held in Syria by a reported al Qaeda group?

In recent days, the Obama Administration had talked of hitting Syria for the beheading of another journalist, James Foley, just a few days ago.

Somebody in Syria, just like when they agreed to destroy the chemical weapons, made the decision to release the American journalist today. The last thing they need in their condition is to have American bombs come raining down on them.

Of course, Syria's major ally is Russia and they are in no position to help Syria if they are attacked by the Americans, since they are rather pre-occupied in Ukraine at the moment.

So why was the journalist released today? Was it for humanitarian reasons? I would doubt that. There are larger geo-political movements in play in that region of the world.

[JI7]

1. the group that had this guy was not ISIS , this was a more moderate terrorist group, i think they

are the ones that McCain is friends with.

[Cleita]

2. Maybe they don't want to be lumped in with ISIS.

They could get bombed ya know. Or maybe they are sending a message that they have higher standards than ISIS when it come to beheadings.

[kentuck]

3. They had held him for about 2 years...

but they decided to release him today. I think they were fearful that Obama was going to bomb them?

[CJCRANE]

4. The people and countries who supported the rebels are getting a lot of bad PR

to say the least.

People are at boiling point not only against them but at western governments for their string of blunders and failures.

[Savannahmann]

5. The reason?

They hope to be identified as one of the more "moderate" rebel groups who we said we would support in Syria.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/23/world/middleeast/obama-adviser-says-military-action-possible-against-isis.html

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is debating a more robust intervention in Syria, including possible American airstrikes, in a significant escalation of its weeks-long military assault on the Islamic extremist group that has destabilized neighboring Iraq and killed an American journalist, officials said Friday.

While President Obama has long resisted being drawn into Syria’s bloody civil war, officials said recent advances by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria had made clear that it represents a threat to the interests of the United States and its allies. The beheading of James Foley, the American journalist, has contributed to what officials called a “new context” for a challenge that has long divided the president’s team.

Officials said the options include speeding up and intensifying limited American efforts to train and arm moderate Syrian rebel forces that have been fighting both ISIS as well as the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Another option would be to bolster other partners on the ground to take on ISIS, including the Syrian Kurds.

So by releasing their reporter hostage alive, the group Al Qaeda in Syria is thus more moderate. See? Any bets that we start to view Assad as a vital partner in the fight against ISIS/ISIL soon?

[kentuck]

6. Does Obama get any credit for this?

I haven't heard any Repubs mention it?

[FSogol]

7. NPR credited the nation of Qatar as interceding. They are trying to build some cred with the West

while not pissing off all the groups/nations around them.