Italy Red Cross May Have Hidden Insurgents

[tocqueville]

By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer
23 minutes ago

ROME - Italy's Red Cross treated four Iraqi insurgents with the knowledge of the Italian government last year and hid them from U.S. forces in exchange for the freedom of two kidnapped aid workers, a top Italian Red Cross official said in an interview published Thursday.

Maurizio Scelli, the outgoing chief of the Italian Red Cross, told the Turin newspaper La Stampa that he kept the deal secret from U.S. officials, complying with "a nonnegotiable condition" imposed by Iraqi mediators who helped him secure the release of Italians Simona Pari and Simona Torretta. They were abducted in Baghdad Sept. 7 and freed Sept. 28.

"The mediators asked us to save the lives of four alleged terrorists wanted by the Americans who were wounded in combat," Scelli was quoted as saying. "We hid them and brought them to Red Cross doctors, who operated on them."

They took the wounded insurgents to a Baghdad hospital in a jeep and an ambulance, smuggling them through two U.S. checkpoints under blankets and boxes of medicines, Scelli said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050825/ap_on_re_mi_ea/italy_iraq_hostages

[sasha031]

1. They see them as human beings

The AP is sensationalizing this story, perhaps they saw them as human beings, from their end I don't know if you can blame them.

Are we now going to call a boycott on spaghetti?

[FlemingsGhost]

2. "With us or against us."

Who will be the first "patriot" to insist that the Red Cross is terrorist organization? (After all, all insurgents are "terrorists." Especally if the U.S. needs them for torture ... I mean "frat pranks.")

My vote goes to Liddy Dole. Such delicious irony.

[librechik]

3. good god--I suppose we have to put the Red Cross in Guantanamo now

wow--to be afraid for yourself because you helped some people survive!

To be marked as Anti American! The RED CROSS for fuck sake!!

AP, what are you thinking?????