recently, on the northeast intelligence network website, laura mansfield warned that the jihadis (al-zarqawi in particular) were looking for high profile western targets working as humanitarians as hostages. lo and behold, i found out yesterday that a british hostage was taken, margaret hassan (in the picture on the left). margaret is an iraqi citizen but british-born (today i heard irish-born), who was working for care. they’re (the terrorists) putting more and more pressure on the brits to withdraw from iraq, apparently the beheading of kenneth bigley didn’t do it. laura says “the intent is to capture at least one or more females, especially those operating in a humanitarian capacity for the purpose of political exploitation immediately preceding the us presidential election in november. “The warnings from the analysts at NEIN have repeatedly stated that anyone, particularly westerners, who are coming in and out of the Green Zone of Baghdad should not be doing so without an armed guard. Margaret was traveling without one.

I love hearing about what’s happening in Iraq, so I’ll be posting this type of thing very frequently because my son’s over there and it’s a point of interest to me. Also, we get a very interesting viewpoint from Laura because she reads Arabic and translates from the Jihadi message boards. News from NEIN is right-on and way ahead of the media~you don’t have to wonder which part is true~

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