its country director Margaret Hassan, was kidnapped by militants, an official said. William Deane, Chairman of CARE Australia which is responsible for the group’s Iraq activities, said that "the current circumstances" prompted the decision.
He stressed that Hassan, who has dual Iraqi and British citizenship realized "the dangerous post-war environment", but that she chooses to stay in Iraq with her Iraqi husband "to assist those most in need."
"We are hopeful she will soon be released to continue to help the Iraqi people to rebuild their lives," Deane said in a statement.
He recalled that Hassan has been providing humanitarian relief with non-government organizations to the people of Iraq for over 25 years.
TENSE SITUATION
The announcement came as Al-Jazeera television broadcast a brief video showing Hassan wearing a white blouse and appearing tense, sitting in a room with bare white walls.
The video did not identify what group was holding her and contained no demand for her release, The Associated Press news agency reported
Her husband, Tahseen Ali Hassan, made a plea on Arabic television, saying his wife had been helping Iraq for three decades. "In the name of humanity, Islam and brotherhood, I appeal to the kidnapers to free her because she has nothing to do with politics," he told Al-Arabiya.
The kidnappers had not contacted anyone with any demands as of Tuesday night, he and other sources said Iraq’s government condemned the abductors saying the "kidnap is a clear indication of the base and bad intents of the terrorists who call themselves ‘mujahedeen,’ a clear insult to Islam and Iraq."
LONG HISTORY
CARE International has a long history of providing humanitarian relief in Iraq, with more than 14 years of continuous activity, the organization said on its Internet website.
Militants have kidnapped at least seven other women in the past six months, but all were later released. Last month, Italian aid workers Simona Torretta and Simona Pari were kidnapped but freed after three weeks in captivity. At least 30 male hostages have reportedly been killed, including three Americans and a Briton beheaded by their captors.
Iraq’s Christian minority has also become a target for kidnappings, as Christians have been working with the U.S.-led coalition as well as within ministries, including the powerful Ministry of Oil, BosNewsLife learned.
