Charity Head Kidnapped in Iraq

[Mike]

A senior worker with a British-based charity in Iraq has been kidnapped.

A spokeswoman said Margaret Hassan, who had been working for CARE International, was taken this morning.

Robert Glasser, a director with the charity, said Ms Hassan was CARE's head of operations in Iraq.

He said she was an Iranian national who had been caring for people in the country for more than 25 years.

Mr Glasser added he had no idea of a motive for the kidnap and believed Ms Hassan had been unharmed.

"We are doing what we can for her release," he added.

The Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told Sky News that his thoughts were "clearly with her family."

"This just demonstrates the depths that the terrorists will go," he added.

The CARE International website says it is a global humanitarian organisation, working with more than 30 million disadvantaged people each year in 72 of the world's poorest countries.

"CARE continues to provide life-saving assistance and essential short-term aid in Iraq. CARE's work is focusing on providing clean water and health care services to the people in southern and central areas of Iraq," the site says.

[kompressaur]

Have they just kidnapped the head? Save time in the long run i suppose.

[Joe]

CARE continues to provide life-saving assistance and essential short-term aid in Iraq. CARE's work is focusing on providing clean water and health care services to the people in southern and central areas of Iraq

I would suggest that makes them more than fair game then.

1) The seek to save lives
2) They are foreigners seeking to help Iraq
3) They do not have in their mission statement "we seek to kill all unbelievers"
4) They are not barking mad with the rationale of a sultana.

[Aykay1]

komp thats awful!

[kompressaur]

I was too Aykay Not much to laugh at i suppose. This could be the first of millions though. They did say mention that she would put her neck on the line for that job. And she has.

Well I think it was damned funny Komp. Bad taste, yes but funny anyway.

By the way, she isnt the "first of many", there are kidnaps in Iraq every day but they dont all have a British connection so they dont make the news.

[Timmy Tour]

CARE's work is focusing on providing clean water and health care services to the people in southern and central areas of Iraq

That's what the government used to do until......

May not have been the most democratic and benign of governments, but it gave its people order and structure. There are plenty of governments who bring nothing but inhumanity and injustice on their people without any redeeming features at all. Some even have oil like Saddam, but it seems the Americans, (unlike the likes of Mark Thatcher and Jeffrey Archer....allegedly! ) are keen to develop business relationships with them regardless.

www.unknownnews.net/031218a-lr.html

On November 17, 2003, CBS "60 Minutes" ran a story about a small African country called Equatorial Guinea where oil was recently discovered. All of the proceeds of the oil go to the corrupt American oil company and the corrupt dictator in that African country. The dictator is President Obiang Nguem Mbasogo. Just like Saddam, Mbasogo received almost 100% of the vote in his last one-man election. And just like Saddam, he takes all of the wealth of the country and shares none with the people.