"We don't negotiate with terrorists"

The sad story of CSM reporter Jill Carroll currently dominates headlines. It was reported today that CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) has dispatched emmissaries to Baghdad to advocate for her release. Hopefully this will help matters, but it certainly can't hurt CAIR's somewhat murky image in the states.

Meanwhile, Ms Carroll's deadline has passed without consequence so far. The kidnappers' demand was for all Iraqi women in detention released. Coalition spokesmen say we've got nine in lockup on suspicion of terrorism. And hey--six of them were on schedule to be released Monday. But we don't negotiate, you understand.

One could reasonably ask why women were in custody if they weren't threats. One could reasonably answer--they were wives or girlfriends of terrorists held for leverage. Let's hope not, but it's weird that six would be released so easily knowing it would leave an impression the kidpapping had something to do with it.

But we don't always negotiate. Case in point, remember the Christian Peacemaker Team captured in late 2005? They've all but disappeared off the radar.





MORE 1/22/2006

Coalition spokesmen continue to insist that we are not negotiating, however Iraqi government officials refuse to back off their claims the female prisoners are to be released.

An Iraqi government official stated the following:

"They delayed their release because of the connection with the kidnapping of the American journalist," the Justice Ministry spokesman said.

In other words, we were going to release them anyway. That's certainly a fair question, but Carroll was kidnapped January 7th while these female detainees didn't come before the review board until the 17th, according to the published report.

Sounds as if someone in the new government might have connections to this heretofore unknown 'terror group' they need to explain.