Eleven still unaccounted for in Iraq


September 15, 2004 - 6:42PM

The AGE

The Department of Foreign Affairs said today it had been unable to account
for 11 Australians in Iraq. 

Latest figures released by DFAT this morning showed there were 231
Australians in Iraq, with 220 accounted for. 

A group calling itself the Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army
released a leaflet on Monday night, saying it had seized two Australians and
two Asians near the Iraqi town of Samarra, and would execute them unless
Australia withdrew forces from Iraq within 24 hours. 

The deadline passed last night with no further word and no names or
photographs of the hostages have yet been released, raising suspicions of a
hoax. 

Meanwhile, four bodyguards working for an Australian company in Iraq who had
been out of reach for more than 24 hours contact with their families, their
Australian employer said. 

Australian Professional Bodyguards special operations director Frank
Halliwell yesterday alerted authorities that he had been unable to make
routine contact with a unit of six employees who had been working in the
region from which Islamic extremists claimed to have kidnapped two
Australians.

But two of the men contacted their families in Perth yesterday afternoon,
and Mr Halliwell said the remaining four men contacted their homes in Perth
and Sydney last night. The families had then conveyed the messages to Mr
Halliwell. 

The armed and highly-trained men always worked together in a unit, and Mr
Halliwell said this had allayed any serious concerns for their welfare. 

"We're relieved in a way but we couldn't really believe that two could be
captured without the other four," he said. 

A second team of six bodyguards, who had been working in the Baghdad region,
were also overdue to make contact, but Mr Halliwell said this was not
unusual due to communications problems in the area. 

He said there were no concerns for the safety of the second unit. 

- AAP



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