July 20, 2004
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq — A Filipino truck driver held hostage in Iraq for nearly two weeks was freed Tuesday, a day after his nation withdrew its final peacekeepers from Iraq a move that met the kidnappers' demands but angered U.S. and Iraqi officials.
Angelo dela Cruz was brought to the steps of the United Arab Emirates embassy at about 10:30 a.m. and told by the kidnappers to go inside, an embassy official said on condition of anonymity. Embassy officials said there was no coordination between them and the kidnappers.
About three hours later, dela Cruz was driven to the Philippines Embassy in a silver Mercedes. As he walked out of the car, jubilant embassy staff members embraced him.
The Philippines government released a videotape showing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo talking on the telephone with dela Cruz.
"I hope you are happy now," she said.
"Yes, ma'am," responded dela Cruz, who appeared to be having trouble hearing Arroyo.
Dela Cruz's family in the Philippines' Pampanga province reacted with joy and thanked Arroyo and other government officials for saving his life.
"Thank you so much Mrs. President," the hostage's father, Francisco, said.
Dela Cruz was to be flown to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for a medical checkup before heading home.
Arroyo went on live national television to confirm dela Cruz's release and say that he is healthy and well. But while she said she was happy that Angelo dela Cruz is coming home, she warned that other "innocents" will not be so lucky if terrorists continue to mount attacks and kidnappings.
"It was a time of trial and a time of triumph," Arroyo said of the difficult negotiations that led to release of dela Cruz, who was snatched by insurgents near Fallujah on July 7.
She said she had spoken with dela Cruz, a truck driver and member of a family of eight who has become a national icon in a country that has more than 7 million citizens working abroad.
Arroyo made no mention of the criticism she has taken from allies for meeting the kidnappers demand that she withdraw the Philippines' 51-strong troop contingent in Iraq early, saying only that she did not regret her decision. The peackeepers had been scheduled to leave on Aug. 20.
The United States and other nations have warned that the Philippine decision could encourage kidnappers in Iraq, and have said Arroyo's decision threatens to damage her nation's cozy links with Washington.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday that Washington was re-evaluating ties with the Philippines. The Iraqi government has expressed disappointment with the Philippines' decision to remove its troops.
In another kidnapping case, an Egyptian truck driver held hostage was freed Monday evening and taken to his country's embassy. Alsayeid Mohammed Alsayeid Algarabawi was abducted from a truck he had driven from Saudi Arabia into Iraq.
Algarabawi's captors, who called themselves the Iraqi Legitimate Resistance, never threatened to harm him but made a series of demands on his Saudi company, including asking for $1 million ransom and insisting it stop doing business in Iraq.
The Al-Jarie Transport company refused to pay the ransom but agreed to end its business in Iraq, said Faisal al-Naheet, a subcontractor speaking on behalf of the firm.
Militants have used near-constant car bombs, sabotage, assassinations and kidnappings as weapons in their 15-month-old insurgency.
In the southern city of Basra, an Iraqi council member running for governor here was killed as he left for work Tuesday morning, along with his driver and bodyguard, an Iraqi official said.
Hazim al-Aynachi was pulling out of his driveway when gunmen opened fire on his car. Another person was injured, said council head Abdul Bari Faiyek.
Faiyek blamed the killing on opposition to elections for a local governor which were due to occur Tuesday, but were delayed in response to the shooting.
"Many threats have been directed to the eight council members nominated to the post," Faiyek said, adding that another councilman escaped an assassination attempt on Monday.
On Monday, a fuel tanker rigged as a massive bomb hurtled toward a Baghdad police station and exploded, killing nine people, wounding 60, and leveling a huge section of an industrial neighborhood.
The suicide bombing was the fourth in a string of deadly attacks on police and government facilities in the last five days. Since the new government took power June 28, at least 75 people have been killed in militant attacks.
In the holy city of Najaf, Iraqi police discovered a weapons cache including 230 rockets and 200 mortar shells Monday, police chief Brig. Hussein Mohammed said.
Police also arrested suspected oil smugglers breaching an oil pipeline that connects the southern and northern oil fields, in Bahr al Najaf, 31 miles west of Najaf city, Col. Mohammed al-Bahash said. He said three oil tankers were confiscated.
On Sunday, two car bombs in Tikrit killed two police officers and wounded five others.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has promised to crack down on insurgents and restore security. In his first foreign trip since taking office June 28, Allawi thanked Jordan's King Abdullah II for helping train thousands of Iraqi troops.
Associated Press writer Bushra Juhi contributed to this report.
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