SAfrica govt says four Iraq abductees still alive
Source: Reuters
JOHHANESBURG, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Four South African security workers who were kidnapped in Iraq are alive and contacts have been made with their captors, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. Ministry spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the kidnappers and the company employing the workers, OSSI-Safenet security service, a sub-contractor for the U.S. Department of Defence, had opened a channel of communication. "Hopefully this will lead to a speedy resolution," he said. "We are certain they are alive." Mamoepa said he did not know who the kidnappers were. A variety of groups have carried out kidnappings in Iraq, including criminal gangs who sometimes sell their victims on to members of Islamic militant groups such as al Qaeda if their ransom demands are not met. About 2,000 South Africans, many trained as soldiers in the apartheid-era military force, are believed to be working in the security sector in Iraq. Several have been killed there. More than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. At least 60 foreign hostages have been reported executed by their captors. (Reporting by Michael Georgy, editing by Paul Casciato; Johannesburg newsroom +27 11 775 3155))
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