Bush his safer place or Video shows UN Afghan hostages

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3969083.stm
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Video shows UN Afghan hostages

"

  Video shows UN Afghan hostages

Three people thought to be UN hostages seized by militants
in Afghanistan have appeared in a video shown by Arabic TV.

The three seemed in good health in the video, in which their
kidnappers called for the release of prisoners from Afghan
jails and Guantanamo Bay.

Filipino Angelito Nayan, Annetta Flanigan from Northern
Ireland and Shqipe Habibi from Kosovo were seized on
Thursday at gunpoint.

They were in Afghanistan to help organise recent
presidential elections.

There have been repeated claims that a militant Islamic
group, the Army of Muslims (Jaish-e-Muslimeen) is holding
the three foreigners.

The militants are also calling for the withdrawal of foreign
forces from Afghanistan and the cessation of UN operations
there.

Taleban links

The group has said in a series of separate statements that
it intends to kill the hostages.

[       Hostage Angelito Nayan
The three were shown crouching up against the wall beside a
masked man.     ]

It is not clear when the tape was made, although a member of
the group was quoted as saying by AFP news agency that it
was given to the TV station, al-Jazeera, at 0900 (0430 GMT)
on Sunday.

The video was shown after the group provided evidence it was
holding the hostages to the BBC, reading out at least one
credit card number which belongs to one of them.

The group is believed to have strong Taleban links.

Elsewhere in the country, US forces have continued to clash
with suspected Taleban and other militants, dampening hopes
that the relative quiet during the 9 October elections would
hold.

In the most serious incident, the US military says its
soldiers killed five people and arrested nine others on
Thursday near the Pakistani border.

A US spokesman said this followed an operation against what
he described as an al-Qaeda facilitator, but he would not
say who this individual was.

It is in this region that Osama Bin Laden is believed to be
hiding.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/3969083.stm

Published: 2004/10/31 09:53:01 GMT

© BBC MMIV
"

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