This story, if accurate, helps to explain some of the confusion over the weekend about the fate of 2 German engineers kidnapped from a dam project last week in Wardak province. The Taliban spokesman announced on Saturday that both the Germans and their Afghan colleagues were shot in response to Germany's failure to bend over for them. The Afghan government denied those claims, saying that one hostage died of a heart attack and the other was still alive. On Sunday, however, the body of one of the engineers, identified only as Ruediger B., was discovered with a gunshot wound to the back. So was he shot and the other hostage dead of a heart attack? Now it appears, pending an autopsy, that Ruediger collapsed from complications of diabetes and that his captors, instead of giving him his insulin, shot him the back to see if he was dead or alive. What was that part about Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate?

Via Expatica:

The German newspaper Die Welt quoted witnesses as saying that dam engineer Ruediger B, who suffered from diabetes, collapsed after he, another German and five Afghans were taken on a forced march in the heat. After lying on the ground for some time, he was shot.

On its website, the paper said that the kidnappers were not part of the Taliban insurgency but were Pashtun bandits. It said only an autopsy could show if Ruediger, abducted Wednesday, was already dead when shot.

It said that German consular officials had spoken Sunday by telephone to the second German hostage.

Another news website, Spiegel Online, identified a witness as Eshaq Noorzai, the Afghan who was freed at the same time as Ruediger's body was handed over to authorities. He is the brother of Arif Khan Noorzai, deputy speaker of the Afghan parliament.

The fate of the second German and the five other Afghans remains uncertain. Let's pray hard for their safe release and that their brutal abductors are shown the same mercy and compassion as was given to Ruediger B.

Thanks to George for the link. Previous:
Taliban Kill Two German Hostages

Posted by: noburqa at 01:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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