Iran Asks for Help to Secure Iranians Kidnapped in Syria

[bananas]

Source: Voice of America

Iranian media said Sunday Tehran has asked Turkey and Qatar to help secure the release of 48 Iranian national kidnapped Saturday in Damascus. Iran has described the victims as religious pilgrims. However, al-Arabiya television says the Syrian rebels have described them as elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Iran backs the Syrian government, while Turkey and Qatar support the Syrian opposition.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.voanews.com/content/clinton-to-discuss-syria-with-turkish-officials/1455460.html

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Iran Held Hostage: Day 2

[ThomThom]

1. sounds like we might have some leverage to get Iran to

back-off support for Syrian leader

[zellie]

2. Payback sucks.

Nt

[Poll_Blind]

14. Payback for what?

PB

[Odin2005]

3. "Religious Pilgrims" my ass.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. What do you know that the rest of us don't?

I certainly don't trust the FSA on its word.

[pampango]

5. What better time to make a religious pilgrimage to Syria? And they just happen to be from

the country that is Assad's one supporter in the region. There must be many Iranians that want to make a pilgrimage to Syria during a sectarian civil war.

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. There were many Iranian Shiites who made pilgrimages to Iraq during its civil war.

Some of them were killed by Sunni/Al Qaeda terror attacks.

You know, life goes on, even in the midst of civil wars. The LA Times reports that "hundreds of thousands" of Iranian Shiites travel to a Damascus mosque that is a holy shrine for them each year.

[Odin2005]

9. The fighting in Iraq was not intense, it was more chronic sectarian bloodletting.

[joshcryer]

12. Yeah, a hot weekend in Caracas is more dangerous than Iraq...

...even at the peak of sectarianism.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Still waiting...or are you just pulling it out your ass?

[Odin2005]

8. Making a pilgrimage in a war zone?

Seems legit, NOT

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. Do you not recall all those Iranian Shiite pilgrims who went to Iraq during the war?

Pilgrimages continue despite the fighting.

So far, the armed thugs who kidnapped these people have produced one ID they claim show they guy is a Revolutionary Guard member. One out of 48. It seems entirely possible this guy used his vacation days to go on a pilgrimage.

I don't know if they are innocent pilgrims or Revolutionary Guards. The point is, neither do you.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Per LBN rules, please edit subject line to reflect exact article title:

Syrian Forces Pound Rebel Positions in Aleppo Thanks!

[bananas]

13. That was the exact title when I posted it.

I just checked my browser history, that was the exact title when I posted it.

[Rhiannon12866]

15. Okay, that's what I figured...

That happens a lot.

[bananas]

16. Here is the same voa article posted on another website

Looks like it was posted 17 minutes before mine was,
same title, same text, same source link:

http://www.carbonated.tv/news/iran-asks-for-help-to-secure-iranians-kidnapped-in-syria

Iran Asks For Help To Secure Iranians Kidnapped In Syria
staff
added Aug 5, 2012 6:05:03 AM

Iranian media said Sunday Tehran has asked Turkey and Qatar to help secure the release of 48 Iranian national kidnapped Saturday in Damascus. Iran has described the victims as religious pilgrims. However, al-Arabiya television says the Syrian rebels have described them as elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Iran backs the Syrian government, while Turkey and Qatar support the Syrian opposition.

Clinton to Turkey

The U.S. State Department announced Sunday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Turkey Saturday to discuss the deteriorating situation in neighboring Syria where a mass uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has been underway for more than 17 months.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Malawi, Clinton's latest stop on her African tour, that the U.S. top diplomat is going to Istanbul "for bilateral consultations with the Turkish government on Syria, as well as to cover other timely issues."

<snip>

Source: Voice of America

[Rhiannon12866]

17. I understand. Thanks for posting that.

It's all good, will pass this on to the other hosts...

[nanabugg]

18. US is always ready to fight governments that we don't like no matter who the "rebels" are.

Al quaida will be in charge of most of teh ME when we wake up.