Al Jazeera: South Korea paid $20 million ransom for hostages
posted at 3:42 pm on August 31, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Yeah, yeah, it’s Al Jazeera, but a Japanese newspaper quotes an Afghan source independently as saying it’s true. The numbers are dramatically different — $2 million per Asahi Shimbun, as much as $20 million per AJ — but it was decidedly odd that the Taliban would agree to free all 19 in exchange for nothing more than reassurances from the South Korean government that they’ll go ahead with their pullout by the end of the year as planned and will halt Christian missions to Afghanistan, especially since the original demand had been for a prisoner exchange. This makes more sense as a quid pro quo.
Lesson learned:
[Alan Fisher, reporting for Al Jazeera from Kabul in Afghanistan] also reported that kidnappings by the Taliban were likely to continue.
“In a vow to continue with the kidnappings they [the Taliban] said that ‘we will do the same thing with other allies in Afghanistan because we found this way to be successful’,” he said.
There were all kinds of rumors about Italy having paid secret ransoms to Iraq jihadis in exchange for various hostages in 2004. The Berlusconi government officially denied it but the captors of three private contractors claimed they got $4 million and, in a separate incident, an Italian paliamentary commission official said he thought at least $1 million had been paid for the release of two aid workers.
Some South Korean officials want to recoup the airfare and medical expenses for the hostages from the hostages themselves. Yes, really.
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S. Korean wergelt. Oh well. They’ve got a different approach to stuff like this. The Taliban and AQ for that matter don’t have an immediate presence in their cultural world view, so I guess it’s hard to blame them, really. I live in that part of the world for 10 years and saw just how disconnected most Asian cultures are from the war on terrorism, etc.
Mindcrime on August 31, 2007 at 3:45 PM
Said so said so said so!…..(yeah yeah yeah…the kreskin of blog commenters)……
Money…throw money at it…just like every nation in the EU…..pay’em…problem solved!
Limerick on August 31, 2007 at 3:46 PM
Insanity! How many of our troops will suffer on the other end of that money?
Connie on August 31, 2007 at 3:49 PM
Pay’em in bibles.
right2bright on August 31, 2007 at 3:50 PM
South Korea suffer from Jimmuh Carter syndrome when it comes to dealing with a hostage crisis. This is how we deal with the Taliban now.
Egfrow on August 31, 2007 at 3:50 PM
I’m glad they are free, but paying a ransom will only encourage more of the same. Israel has the best policy for dealing with hostage situations. If an Israeli is taken hostage, the hostage is considered already dead, then a rescue operation is mounted if they are able to determine the location of the hostage(s). If the operation is successful perhaps some of the hostages will come alive again, but the hostage takers always pay with their lives.
Maxx on August 31, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Why do I envision a stream of antiwar moonbats heading to Afghanistan to do their part?
JammieWearingFool on August 31, 2007 at 3:52 PM
How do they know how much money is enough? Does the Koran specify some kind of exchange rate? Like, 5 camels per hostage, or the cash equivalent?
NellE on August 31, 2007 at 3:55 PM
This is just the beginning.
Zaire67 on August 31, 2007 at 3:58 PM
No, it’s the continuation.
Michelle on August 31, 2007 at 3:58 PM
Speechless
The stupidity
The cowardice
Speechless
Ochlan on August 31, 2007 at 3:59 PM
I was just musing on that myself after reading this post. But specifically in reference to the 3 that are outstanding over there right now. Israel has been dealing with terror much longer than we have, and they are quite successful in some regards, airline safety, etc.
But they do negotiate with terrorists, exchanging prisoners etc. And their current situation seems to have a large percentage of the population displeased with their unwillingness (or inability) to secure the release of the hostages that sparked last summer’s engagement in Lebanon.
I’m still weighing it in my mind, but I don’t think I have a particular problem with paying to get civilians back. Like everything, if you do that, you are going to encourage it, so I would say that the most critically imperative point is that justice have the last word…ie once the freedom of hostages are secured, the hostage-takers should be hunted down and erased in a quick and decisive manner. But as I said, still musing on it.
Spirit of 1776 on August 31, 2007 at 4:00 PM
Sad if true. Paying for hostages is the same as condemning someone else down the road to death. Not the hostages fault as far as the negotiations go. Two of them paid with their lives. The South Korean Government will wash their hands of it and someone else will pay with their lives.
Meanwhile, Christians will still go to Afghanistan and everywhere else Jesus is needed (read: everywhere). I think the mindset should be, “If we’re kidnapped, pray, but don’t pay for our release.”
Ordinary1 on August 31, 2007 at 4:17 PM
Do the Taliban have bank accounts where they can deposit large sums of money?
Or did they pay them off with goats?
Can the assets be frozen?
Kini on August 31, 2007 at 4:17 PM
Frozen Goats. Goatsicles.
Achmed and the Frozen Goatsicle stand, earning money for the Taliban!
Mindcrime on August 31, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Makes ya think doesn’t it. What did they do, send the money western union? In a overstuffed suitcase? Checking account route number?
Kini on August 31, 2007 at 4:22 PM
Leaves me thinking about the radioactive money story that was just recently floating around…
doriangrey on August 31, 2007 at 4:38 PM
I believe South Korea just invited themselves into the center of the war weather they intended to or not. They will have to learn some hard lessons.
Egfrow on August 31, 2007 at 4:42 PM
I remember reading of Japan having a critical attitude for three hostages in Iraq.
allie on August 31, 2007 at 4:48 PM
What’s next for the Taliban to kidnap?
Anymore foreign groups, religious or not, heading to Afghanistan?
Are there any lessons learned?
Kini on August 31, 2007 at 4:48 PM
WTG, South Korea.
Here’s what you should have done: grow some stones. Kill one negotiator, at least, for every hostage they kill. Promise nothing.
TexasDan on August 31, 2007 at 4:50 PM
Of course, I agree with the unspoken thought that very many American soldiers may suffer through al-Qaida’s use of the money. It occurs to me, though, that the money will be traceable through the banks; it won’t be entirely traceable, of course, but the traces may nevertheless yield valuable information. A larger point is that although seeing those funds given to terrorists is grievous, those funds are probably minute in comparison to the funds coming from muslim “charities” and from rich muslims in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other countries. I’ll just keep repeating that the Americans can largely de-fund the terrorists and Islam and fund their own war against their enemies among the muslims by making the oil and the oil wealth their own.
Kralizec on August 31, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Dhmoneytude
William Amos on August 31, 2007 at 5:20 PM
The South Koreans will now be targets wherever they go. It’s just too lucrative for the terrorists to pass them up.
jeanie on August 31, 2007 at 5:22 PM
The taliban should apply for foreign aid instead. That way they get the money without the fuss. Egypt gets two billion a year without writing a single ransom note.
The talibs have away to go yet.
BL@KBIRD on August 31, 2007 at 5:44 PM
JiangxiDad on August 31, 2007 at 5:49 PM
Steve Doocy reported that they were going to be released the other morning as “such good news” even though we knew at that time that there were megabucks changing hands and demands that for no more Christian missionaries.
That was not one of his better moments, IMO.
Buy Danish on August 31, 2007 at 6:25 PM
Henceforth, any civilian foreign nationals in Afghanistan will be seen as walking ATMs by the Taliban.
I’m amazed that the ROK government went along with this. (Anyone who thinks that ROK troops are easy marks has never seen them in action.) My guess is that some arm-twisting went on behind the scenes.
Which means that we don’t know the whole story yet. And when we do find out the real details, we probably won’t like them.
cheers
eon
eon on August 31, 2007 at 6:47 PM
This is absolutely infuriating. South Korea has committed at least three egregious wrongs.
1) They negotiated with the terrorists in the first place.
2) They’re blaming victims for the crimes committed against them (echoes of “little Eichmanns” anyone?).
I thought that was the worst of it…
3) They may have paid terrorists for kidnapping and murdering.
Say it ain’t so.
viking999 on August 31, 2007 at 7:07 PM
The citizens of free nations that are fighting this war on terror that venture into war lands need to realize that they are emboldening terrorists and are actually doing their country a disservice. They should feel shame I hope, they are lucky to be alive.
Until we adopt a policy of no negotiations, the evil terrorists will continue to do this which will be more bloodshed in the long run.
Highrise on August 31, 2007 at 8:04 PM
Here I was thinking that I’m the only person that uses “Dane geld” as an expression (slaps forehead).
In fact, that is an expression that represents an ongoing payoff (as in the Anglo-Saxons paying off the Vikings). I can see the Dems doing it and the Chinese taking it, but isn’t that what is actually going on now?
Hening on August 31, 2007 at 8:28 PM
Well, the West does negotiate with terrorists. Why the phony rage? You know State was pulling the strings on this travesty. We have absoulutely no clue and/or no will to fight our enemies. Is this surprising to anyone?
How does it feel to have our government outwitted by dark ages scum? Maybe someday the West will have a leader again. I can only hope…. The West is completely leaderless at this point.
reaganaut on August 31, 2007 at 10:40 PM
Sheesh!
Does any other nation have the balls left to defend civilization?
Sorry for the crass language, but it looking more and more to me that America, Israel, India and Australia are going to find a very lonely existence in the next few decades.
Darnell Clayton on September 1, 2007 at 1:52 AM
If true, whether $2-$20 million funding the Taliban war effort against our troops. That’s a lot of money for thesse who use camels and manure chips for currency. Any country that surrenders to terrorist demands ought to face some kind of sanctions by the US!
ricelchew on September 1, 2007 at 9:19 AM
If true, whether $2-$20 million, it’s funding the Taliban war effort against our troops. That’s a lot of money for thesse who use camels and manure chips for currency. Any country that surrenders to terrorist demands ought to face some kind of sanctions by the US!
ricelchew on September 1, 2007 at 9:19 AM
As a matter of policy, since it puts our people at greater risk, we should launch military strikes against any nation that pays ransom to terrorists.
Including our allies.
If they object, so be it. If they object too strongly, take out a city.
And do worse to our enemies.
Christoph on September 1, 2007 at 11:11 AM
I’m kidding. But it makes me mad, that’s for sure, because South Korea has just killed several people, more likely several dozen, even hundred, and caused enormous pain, fear, and suffering, to selfishly ransom its citizens who knowingly put themselves in harms way.
I say pull out and let the north F—- with them.
Christoph on September 1, 2007 at 11:13 AM
Mormons have a policy that they NEVER pay ransoms. Guess what? Kidnappings are extremely rare for missionaries. Korea should take a hint from them. Korea has won a short term gain for long term loss.
Mojave Mark on September 1, 2007 at 1:22 PM
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