Irish reporter tells of his 36-hour Baghdad abduction, fears of grisly out

[Judi Lynn]

October 21, 2005

Irish reporter tells of his 36-hour Baghdad abduction, fears of grisly outcomes

DUBLIN, Ireland The Irish reporter who was abducted by Shiite (SHEE'-eyet) extremists in Baghdad says he was bracing himself for the prospect of several months in captivity -- or a beheading.

Rory Carroll, a correspondent for The Guardian newspaper of Britain, was freed after 36 hours in captivity. He tells Ireland's R-T-E state broadcasters he owes his speedy salvation to Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi (AHK'-mahd SHAH'-lah-bee), who brokered a deal for his release.

Carroll says Chalabi told him the fact he's Irish may have saved his life. He says the gang who took him had wanted a British citizen who would have been used to barter for the release of Shiite extremists jailed by British forces.
(snip/)

http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=4012253&nav=0RYb

[ourbluenation]

1. My Da always said It's good to be Irish...

in this case he was certainly right.

[Cha]

7. We were wanting a miracle

for Rory Carroll, yesterday, and by God we got it!

Not too often you come back from an Iraqi kidnapping. Those British Blokes better watch their backs!

[pinniped]

2. Lucky, he was almost a British citizen.

Ahmad Chalabi, how could he pull strings when he is wanted for being a super-secret double-agent?

[Greeby]

3. The man owes his safety to Chalabi?

Boy, that mus make ya feel dirty

[KC21304]

8. We all owe Chalabi !

We owe him a cell for the rest of his life for helping the Pretend President and his cabal to bring this horror to us.

[Sequoia]

4. Luck 'o the Irish!

Guess they know the history of Ireland's many hundred years of oppression under the lobster backs.

[lostexpectation]

11. it sticks in my gut

im delighted he's ok, but this he's Irish sure there only harmless is ridiculous, it pretends that Irish can't as greedy and as selfish as any othe nation when it wants to be...

If his captors asked him if Ireland was participating in these wars, what would he say?

Well our foreign minister answered for him and said he was Irish and had done nothing to deserve it. Of course that would be lie. If the captors knew better what would happen...?


the Irish state is allowing 1000,000 of troops and cargo planes and kidnap planes to land a and refuel at Shannon. And the government claims we're not particpating. !!!

[Rich Hunt]

12. hm

1000,000 troops.

This is a strange thread. Surely the Irish don't have the means to be
as harmful, even if they wanted to be.

[lostexpectation]

13. to clarify

100,000's of US troops and Gitmo Express Jets...

No but we do have big empty airport halfway between the US and the Middle East and a placit government

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2005/10/23/story226800.html

"Mr Carroll, who believed he had been taken as a result of tensions between British forces and Shiite militia in the southern city of Basra, said he repeatedly told his captors he was Irish.

He said the men who had seized him were “underwhelmed” by his nationality.

He said he’d volunteered fragments of his identity from the IRA and U2 right down to Enya, and Fair City, and had even drawn a map of Western Europe with an exaggerated gap between Britain and Ireland."

Which ironically would have moved us closer to the US to whom we're are willing pistop on the way to invasion. :(

[punpirate]

5. So, they wanted someone British...

... does that mean Robert Fisk is next in the bag? Wonder what Chalabi would do if Fisk were abducted?

[Seansky]

6. i still find it hard to believe in Chalabi

[Judi Lynn]

10. Same here.Can't imagine the disgust involved in owing him one's life! n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

9. I don't suppose it did him any harm

working for the Guardian, either.