Jordan Times
Monday, November 7, 2004
Gov't exerting efforts to
secure release of three abducted drivers
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — Government Spokesperson Asma Khader on Saturday said the government is
exerting its utmost efforts to secure the release of three Jordanian drivers
abducted in Iraq last week.
Khader, also minister of culture, said the government is following closely, and
with great concern, the situation of the three men.
The three drivers, abducted in Iraq by an unknown group called Jaish Al Islam,
(Army of Islam), were identified by officials as Atta Haddad, Mahmoud Abu
Zaytoon and Jamal Shanik.
The men appeared on a videotaped broadcast on Thursday by Al Jazeera satellite
station.
The station said the hostages appealed to their country to warn its citizens
against working with coalition forces in Iraq.
Khader added that the government is also looking into claims by the family of a
fourth Jordanian citizen, Hassan Zyoud, who said their son was abducted in Iraq.
“We are looking into the family's claims and have contacted our embassy in
Baghdad to check and see if Zyoud was abducted or was being detained by the
Iraqi authorities,” Khader said.
She said the government is also following up on the case of two other citizens,
Iyad and Mahmoud Awad, who were shot in the Ramadi area last week.
“The government is following up on the their medical status and offered to
facilitate their return to the Kingdom once their treatment is completed in
Iraq,” Khader said.
The spokesperson said the government was also facilitating the return of the
body of a Jordanian citizen who died last week of injuries sustained in an armed
attack by an unknown Iraqi militant group.
Mohammad Khalil Shaalan, one of seven Jordanian drivers who were attacked near
the city of Fallujah as they were heading home on Tuesday, died of gunshot
wounds a day later.
In mid-October, Khader advised citizens not to travel to Iraq “for the time
being, for their own safety.”
She said: “We cannot prevent Jordanians from travelling to Iraq, but we urge
them not to go there because the situation is really dangerous.”