BEIRUT -- Jill Carroll has been released in Baghdad. After nearly three months, during which she was in the thoughts of every reporter in Baghdad, Jill is now in the hands of the Americans and will soon be on her way home to her family. This is the best news I've heard in a long time.
I've heard she was first released to the the Iraqi Islamic Party before she was taken to safety in the Green Zone.
UPDATE 3:29:57 PM +0300: It was the Iraqi Islamic Party who received her. The Washington Post seems to have the most details so far. And U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just gave Jill's release a shoutout at the summit over Iran's nuclear program.
UPDATE 3/31/06 2:27:57 AM +0300: The story I did for TIME.com on Jill's release is up. And the previous story I did when she was first kidnapped is here.
The right-wing nuts already are saying she should have been killed, was treasonous, should be banned from coming home and, in general, spouting their usual mishmash of uninformed -- but passionately certain -- lies, prejudices and speculation. It's sickening. (A favorite trope is that because she said her captors treated her well, she must have been in on the kidnapping.)
They base this on a video her captors made in which she says the mujahdeen will win because they're smarter and that the war is wrong, etc. What's weirdest is their carping on the fact that she was still wearing her hijab and Arabic dress when she was filmed in the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters. People: She didn't have any other clothes. And the IIP is a conservative Sunni party. It would have been very disrespectful to the people who were trying to get her home to whip off her hijab in their offices. Notably, in the pics on the Washington Post and New York Times site, she's pretty obviously wearing a military T-shirt. Man, do these people even consider some of the issues they slam people for?
This is indeed good news. I thought about her lately. Lets hope she can get that nightmare out of her head soon and keep on with life. Keep safe, Chris!
Truly wonderful news. I had read just yesterday(?) about her sister appealing for her release on al-Arabiya. Welcome home, Jill!
A good day for humanity. A good morning in America indeed.
Oh thank God! You must be over the moon. Thanks for letting us know and starting the day on such a great note!
Why do you think she was freed, Chris?
A brief happy respite from a continuing reign of misery for Iraq and its people.
Imagine you’re some poor Iraqi whose family members have vanished, and you’ll never hear from them again, and no organizations will help spread your story, no one will help you at all, and you have nothing but your own sorrow.
We love Jill!
And, we love you, too Chris.
Thank you, Tilli :) As for why she was freed, I honestly don’t know.
I suppose if they had sawed of her head on video, the wingnuts would have said she deserved it for being a clueless liberal in a war zone — like Tom Fox.
Chris, you posted; “It was the Iraqi Islamic Party who received her”
Wasn’t this the same group that she was last seen with before “The criminals” ( Jills words ) took her hostage?
Jill isn’t happy with the interview she gave to “The Iraqi Islamic Party” that promised her it wouldn’t be made public.
imo, “The Iraqi Islamic Party” are still amatuers when it comes to putting together a political photo op shoot for future political gain. Jill was used several times over by “The Iraqi Islamic Party” and the associated ganster/kidnapping ring “The Iraqi Islamic Party” do buisness with. jmo. Now that she is back in Boston, which media outlet will beat a path to her door to get her on this upcomming weekly morning news shows ? She will have to choose wisely as “labels” will be attached to her by where she appears publicly.
Choosing wisely…. thats something that can be taught but I’m convinced it’s an instinct knee jerk reaction thing a journalist ( in her past situation ) is better off being born with.
alas, she caught a break ( I’m glad she beat the odds )
“She who writes and runs away… will live to write another day. “
Good news…At least she said that the people who kidnapped her and murdered Alan Enwiya are criminals, at best. I do feel sorry-angry-disgusted each time such a thing happen in Iraq…
Wondering, what was the price of Jill Carroll’s release? How much the ransom was, I bet the money will supply more killing of Iraqis and others.
I can imagine what will happen if A will start negotiating with B to let C ( probably a real criminal who killed many Iraqi & non-Iraqis) out of custody in order to free D(innocent foreigner hostage) or asking for a ransom to support E/B.
Apparently, you are not part of the solution, so don’t be part of the problem, as if we need more problems, it’s already complicated enough, if you are not ready to the worse don’t come to Iraq.
They did not give Alan Enwiya (a well educated young Iraqi) a second chance; he is Iraqi, that’s why he has been killed on the spot!
They did not give L., Alan, Atwar, Khidhr Mahallawi (baghdadtreasure.blogspot.com (Iraq is under control… but by whom?!) or any of the civilians in the streets a second chance, sure, they don’t even worth the bullet, like the old days, when Al-Mukhabarat execute a person for political reasons, they usually approach the family asking for the bullet cost!