Hostage Taking: A Growing Source of Revenue for the Iraq Insurgency

By Victor Comras

Hostage taking for ransom is now big business in Iraq and is increasingly being used to fund terrorism and the insurgency. While it is often difficult to distinguish kidnap and ransom for terrorism, as opposed to criminal motives, there are increasing indications that insurgent/terrorist groups are now using this tactic to raise funds. Some 200 foreigners in Iraq have been kidnapped since Saddam fell. In addition, several hundred Iraqis have been taken. Initially, most were killed. But, now the numbers of those held for ransom is surpassing those murdered. Ransom usually entails payments from employers or family members and can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But, there are also indications that governments have engaged in ransom payments. Despite denials from the French, Italian. Phillipines and Australian governments, rumors persist in Iraq and widely among journalists, that discrete ransom payments were, and are, being paid behind the scenes. These payments, when made, are routed to third parties used as middlemen in the negotiations. This shelters the identity of the captors and allows the governments concerned to deny they paid any money to the terrorists. Several journalists in Switzerland and France, continue to maintain that the French government paid up to 12.5 million Euro ($15 million) for the June 11th release of French journalist Florence Aubenas. A similar amount was rumored to have been paid for the release, last December, of Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot. This was substantially above the $1 million allegedly paid by the Italian government to win the release of Italian journalists Simona Toretta and Simona Pari. While both French and Italian government officials maintain their denials, the word has spread throughout Iraq and elsewhere that hostage-taking is an effectively method to raise funds for insurgency and terrorism actions. For its part, the United States seems willing not to interfere in such hostage negotiations, even when a ransom is involved. The US usually holds off from engaging in the matter until after the captive has been released.

Canadian Naji al Kawaiti was taken hostage April 3, 2004 and released May 4, 2004. His captors demanded a $50,000 random. The Canadian MFA admitted playing an important role in his release but refused to indicate whether or not any ransom was paid. Iraqi militants also freed Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz on July 20, 2004, two weeks after taking him hostage. The Philippines withdrew 51 soldiers from Iraq shortly after. Three Romanian journalists and their Iraqi-American guide were freed in late May after nearly two months in captivity. A Swedish national, Ulf Hjertstroem, was kidnapped in early March and released in late May following negotiations on a ransom demand from his captors. And Just a few days ago, Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced that Douglas Wood, a 63-year-old engineering consultant, had been rescued in a military operation. But, there are indications cited in the Australian press that the Australian government may have made cash payments to a senior Iraqi middle-man to locate them and set the stage for the rescue.
For a list of currently held hostages click here.

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