(Washington Post) The Japanese public watched horrifying television footage from Iraq Thursday showing three Japanese hostages, blindfolded and screaming in terror, while Islamic militants pointed guns at them. Their captors issued threats to burn them alive if Japan did not withdraw from the U.S.-backed coalition in the next three days. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda reiterated that the 550 Japanese noncombat troops are in Iraq to provide humanitarian aid and carry out reconstruction work.
2004-04-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive