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3 American tourists in Iranian custody
DailyBuzz
Member Posts: 2,306
cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/31/american-tourists-in-iranian-custody-official-says/
(CNN) — Three American tourists are reported in Iranian custody after they may have strayed across the border from Iraq during a mountain hike, Kurdish officials told CNN Friday.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said it was checking into the reports but could not confirm them.
A senior Kurdish official told CNN that four U.S. tourists had entered Kurdistan in northern Iraq from Turkey, staying in Sulaimaniya for about two nights. Three of the tourists traveled on to a tourist area near the Iranian border called Ahmed Awa, where they intended to go backpacking.
A Kurdish security official said that the group was in contact with the fourth American, who stayed behind until Friday afternoon, when they told their friend they were lost and surrounded by military personnel speaking Farsi.
Kurdish authorities have received information that the three were picked up by the Iranians and are now in Iran, the senior official said.
This could cause some serious friction between the Iranian and US administrations, especially if they continue to hold these tourists until the 5th. I think Iran has enough problems at the moment not to want to play this politically. Hopefully, these tourists will be released very soon.
Comments
Hmmmm.......
Surrounded by military personnel speaking Farsi would seem to indicate that they were no longer in Kansas.
I imagine they are off to meet the wizard.......without the little girl and her dog.
Why exactly are there american tourists in Iraq anyway?
I'm sorry, but this is total bullshit.
I've spent over 6 months in the places mentioned in this "report", when I was doing my tour. Basically the only unit in the entire area save for some recon that we teamed with from time to time.
Nobody "goes touring" towards the Iranian border via Kurdistan. I don't know how you would even tour Kurdistan, as there is only a few places to go.. and outside that, there is nothing.
This is BS... I don't know what kind of retarded is required to "wander towards the Iranian border" from 'Kurdistan'.. but I'm telling you right now, it would take a colossal amount of dumbass to do this.
Oh, and believe me when I say that you won't just find yourself wandering freely around the borders either, looking as non-Arab as they probably do. The Kurdish Border Patrol does not fuck around..
There is a garbage pile sized heap of story missing from this text.
I'm going to call this as I see it... A total set-up, a ruse.
National Lampoon's Kurdistan Vacation, with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo?
Tourist in Iraq? Are you kdding me? LOL!
Look at it this way, they're out of our gene pool, and now part of the Iranian gene pool.
Let's hope we don't get them back.......
Could be spies, with the 4th guy being their contact while they're on mission. It's hard to believe anyone would be touring Iraq in this day and age... well except for soldiers.
Oh in other news the last Australian soldiers have left Iraq! Yay!!!
Link
O_o o_O
What did they expect?
There are ALOT of tours to countries in "war torn" area's.
Many people (no fking joke, MANY.) do this to see war torn regions of the world. Afganistan, Iraq, Somalia,etc.
I don't doubt that there could be tourists there. It's a booming trade right now for those tired of "boring" places.
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As for these guys, I really have to wonder why you would go back packing in such a region without a guide.
Either this is a A1 screw up, or they weren't tourists.
It is a real WTF moment.
Yep. If I cared to go to the hotel where the 4th member was staying, I could be standing in the lobby 48 hours from now. That's going completely legit commercial, no bribes, guides, or illegal crossings.
Leave the fourth guy behind so that he can report operation Tourist is a go.Seem like to me that the US wants to tangle horns with Iran and is looking for any excuse to go in there..
Some people rob you at gun point..Others will rob you at "Ball Point Pen"
We need to forbid tourism to wartorn/militarily active places like Iraq. So now we may have 3 hostages to rescue, somehow, on top of everything else. Its a security risk, its a moral risk, etc. It is almost as bad as the CDC allowing people to visit Mexico earlier this year, which has created a pandemic situation in the US.
" Originally posted by Astropuyo
or they weren't tourists."
With what I said in mind, I don't think they were tourists. = /
___________________
Sadly, I see storm clouds on the horizon. A faint stench of Vanguard is in the air.-Kien
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/12/13/
This.
So the US Media can stir up a fuss with the people and call the Iranians barbaric, etc. etc. Like the North Korean and US "journalists" fiasco.
It's not a hostage situation either way, it just is what it is. Look at this way, what would we do if we found Iranians crossing the border from Canada "illegally". Yeah.. exactly.
Wise words from former President G.W. Bush ring a bell with this one: "Fool me once..... Shame on...... Shame on you.... (?) uh... Fool me, look you can't fool me again."
What idiot would tour a country that you're potentially at war with? They fully deserve what ever happens to them for being dimwits. Riddance I say.
Thank goodness for Obama's speech in Egypt. It's really smoothed things over for us in the middle east.
My youtube MMO gaming channel
Aye aye,I feel all that love to thats in the air.
I think they deserve to be arrested.
Here is why.
They crossed into a countries borders and the like without legality behind them.
Now I know what you are saying.
"Astropuyo, how can you be saying that about fellow American's. It must be IRAN'S evil fault."
Now I say to you this, I feel the same way for any who cross our borders illegally.
We must not be those who cry foul when foul happens and then act as though we have done nothing wrong to others when we commit the same foul.
Now I feel for these dumbasses, it must really suck to be detained in Iran. However at the same time I can't help but laugh at them. The arrogance of we Americans is what makes people disdain us so. They were no doubt in the wrong.
This is akin to when playing a FPS and someone kicks your ass over and over again , finally your only response is "HACKER!!".
Probably give them jobs either in landscaping or home cleaning......
Yeah the Republicans and Bush/Cheney are it again... oh wait.. the Democrats and Obama are in charge now.
Ch.. Ch ..Changes
This chart is important because shows the US military is on the march and about to make a move...
On a side note Israel has just sent 3 subs into Suez Canal something is going down and its big.
Trade in material assumptions for spiritual facts and make permanent progress.