This is despicable.

Margaret, the Irish born president of CARE International in Iraq, has spent the last 30 years of her life there in Iraq... distributing food and medicine to those in need. She is married to an Iraqi man. She speaks fluent Arabic. She was there for the Iraqi people during the 12 years of sanctions, throughout the present war.

...and now she is being trotted out in front of the camera like Mr. Kenneth Bigley, begging for her life, making a heartfelt appeal to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

If these bastards think that it will break our will, they are mistaken. They will do nothing but strengthen our resolve, feed our determination and ensure their own martyrdom.

It must wrench the hearts of the British.

It certainly wrenches mine.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped director of CARE International in Iraq, appeared on a videotape aired Friday, weeping and pleading with British Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw troops from Iraq "and not bring them to Baghdad" because "this might be my last hours."

"Please help me. Please help me," said a terrified Hassan, breaking down in tears and burying her face in a tissue. She said she might be killed like British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who was beheaded by his captors earlier this month.

"This might be my last hours," she said in the video aired by the Arabic television station Al-Jazeera. She begged the British people to "ask Mr. Blair to take the troops out of Iraq, and not to bring them here to Baghdad. That's why people like Mr. Bigely and myself are being caught. And maybe we will die like Mr. Bigley. Please, please, I beg of you."

Hassan - an Irish-British-Iraqi national who has been doing humanitarian work in Iraq for 30 years, including distributing medicine and food - appeared haggard, her eyes baggy as she stood alone in front of a bare wall.

Posted by Michael at October 22, 2004 01:25 PM