Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Ananova - Soldiers free Kenyans captured by Saddam's fighters (Via Instapundit)
What's instructive is not only that they were paraded on Al Jazeera as POW's, but in how they were treated when held by the Iraqis.
(in full)Two Kenyan truck drivers captured and paraded on television by Iraqi militiamen have spoken of their ordeal after they were freed by British soldiers.
David Shira Mukaria and Jakubu Maina Kamau were kidnapped 11 days ago outside Al Zubayr in southern Iraq and held in an abandoned school where they were beaten and blindfolded.
Following their capture the two men's faces were paraded on television footage obtained by Arabic satellite network al-Jazeera.
They were initially thought to be British but yesterday explained they were Kenyan truck drivers contracted to deliver food to US troops.
They said they got separated from their convoy and were ambushed by around 20 guerrilla fighters.
They were rescued by the Black Watch, now in control of Al Zubayr, who were tipped off that they were being held in the school.
British troops arrived in two Warriors and found the men in one of the classrooms.
Mr Mukaria, 53, said: "They kept us there for 10 days. We had no food or water, nothing. We decided because we are Christians we would ask God to save us or take our souls to heaven. We prayed to God every day.
"We could not see them but we heard them talking. Some of them were speaking in English. Some of them said, 'kill them', some of them said, 'no'. We just prayed and prayed."
Mr Kamau, 37, said: "I was sure we were going to die. I remember seeing a man with his finger on the pin of a grenade as they argued about whether they would kill us or not."
David Shira Mukaria and Jakubu Maina Kamau were kidnapped 11 days ago outside Al Zubayr in southern Iraq and held in an abandoned school where they were beaten and blindfolded.
Following their capture the two men's faces were paraded on television footage obtained by Arabic satellite network al-Jazeera.
They were initially thought to be British but yesterday explained they were Kenyan truck drivers contracted to deliver food to US troops.
They said they got separated from their convoy and were ambushed by around 20 guerrilla fighters.
They were rescued by the Black Watch, now in control of Al Zubayr, who were tipped off that they were being held in the school.
British troops arrived in two Warriors and found the men in one of the classrooms.
Mr Mukaria, 53, said: "They kept us there for 10 days. We had no food or water, nothing. We decided because we are Christians we would ask God to save us or take our souls to heaven. We prayed to God every day.
"We could not see them but we heard them talking. Some of them were speaking in English. Some of them said, 'kill them', some of them said, 'no'. We just prayed and prayed."
Mr Kamau, 37, said: "I was sure we were going to die. I remember seeing a man with his finger on the pin of a grenade as they argued about whether they would kill us or not."
