Still, the kidnapping seemed unusual in some aspects, so the case deserved some attention, outside the emotionalism and hype that surrounded it. For a start, most of the kidnapping cases publicized in the western media are cases of men being kidnapped (I do remember one Japanese woman being kidnapped and released along with two Japanese men). Also, I think the more suspicious minds felt that if we saw something like the Berg video, and the US claimed it was Zaraqawi again, that would be very, very suspicious. Another strange thing for me was that I didn't see any specific links to the plight of female prisoners in the hands of the occupation. I would have thought they took women to link it to women held prisoner.
>>She said she did know whether Italy bought her freedom from the
kidnappers: "If a ransom was paid then I am very sorry. But I know
nothing about it ... I believe that (the kidnappers) were a very
political, religious group and that in the end they were convinced
that we were not enemies.">>
She said 'believed', not knew for sure, though she has more credibility and knowledge about Iraq than, say, an Italian truck driver working for a federal contractor. In the case of an anti-insurgency faction taking them hostage (such as a pro-Allawi group), the single best action would be to scare them out of Iraq because of their anti-occupation stance. Foreign aid workers rhetorically supporting the insurgency are most definitely not welcome. However, killing them would just make 90% of Italy take to the streets against Berlusconi and his already unpopular participation in the occupation.
In the case of an anti-occupation group, the single best action would be to take them hostage and release them, to show mercy, since they weren't armed soldiers or mercenaries or spies or occupation workers. I'm not sure about the case of a pro-Chalabi group.
In any case, it could have been a group fairly low down in their organization--a newly formed cell-- who simply waited for some instructions from above or outside infomation to help them decide whether or not to release.
Finally, I think it is also plausible that a lot of kidnappers are looking for ransom and are using the chaos of the US's occupation and the insurgency as cover (now that might take in Chalabi). I wouldn't even be surprised if some freebooter elements in the American or Israeli presences in Iraq weren't operating like this (since recent events with 'mercernaries' conducting 'anti-terror'operations, and their very quick trial in Afghanistan, would indicate it's possible). I think most such kidnappings are of Iraqis, though.
Moreover, we shouldn't just assume because this or that group seems religious, that they are insurgency. Or, vice versa, simply because someone is in the insurgency, that they are particularly religious. As I've said before, I think the final analysis about the insurgency is going to show it to be nationalistic (anti-American right from the very start, because of a long bitter history).
F
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