The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, has said a special task force has been established to try to secure the release of an Australian man kidnapped by Iraqi militants. Mr Howard would not elaborate on what actions the task force might take but said under no circumstances would Australia negotiate with terrorists.
The tape, broadcast yesterday, showed a man identifying himself as Douglas Wood, 63, seated between two masked militants pointing automatic weapons at him.
In a telephone interview, Wood's wife, Pearl, told journalists that she had seen the tape and that the man being held was her husband. She said he had been in Iraq about a year and half, working as an engineer.
"Everybody knows the position of the Australian government in relation to hostage demands," Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio. "We can't have the foreign policy of this country dictated by terrorists."
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the task force, made up of federal police and officials from the foreign and defence ministries, would head to Iraq as soon as possible to begin working for Wood's release.
Iraqi militants released a videotape of theAustralian pleading for US-led coalition forces to leave Iraq to save his life.
A sign shown on the tape carried the name of the militant group responsible for the kidnapping, Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq. The group previously has claimed responsibility for attacks on US soldiers and Iraqi forces, plus the kidnapping of Turkish national Aytullah Gezmen, who was freed in September.
Wood, appearing disheveled and shaken, said he was Australian but lived in Alamo, Calif., with his American wife. Alamo is an unincorporated suburb of Danville, about 25 miles east of San Francisco.
"I'm Australian, a US resident, my wife is an American. We have a house in Alamo, California," he said, adding that he came to Iraq almost a year ago to work on reconstruction projects with the American military.
The captive appealed to President Bush, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to order coalition forces out of Iraq and let Iraqis look after themselves.
"My captors are fiercely patriotic. They believe in a strong united Iraq looking after its own destiny," Wood said on the tape. "Please help me. I don't want to die."
Howard said today that Australia had established a special task force to try to secure Wood's release, but would not elaborate on what actions it might take. He said under no circumstances would Australia negotiate with terrorists.
"Everybody knows the position of the Australian government in relation to hostage demands," Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We can't have the foreign policy of this country dictated by terrorists."
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the task force, made up of federal police and officials from the foreign and defence ministries, would head to Iraq as soon as possible to begin working for Wood's release.
Wood is the second Australian to be kidnapped in Iraq following October's capture of journalist John Martinkus, who was seized in Baghdad and held for about 24 hours before being freed.
Australia sent 2,000 elite troops to take part in the US-led invasion of Iraq and still has 920 troops in and around the country.
In Australia, Wood's brother Malcolm said in a statement his family was "distressed and extremely concerned about his situation."
"We trust that our government and its officials, liaising with other governments and agencies as appropriate, will do all that is reasonably in their power to confirm his situation and develop a response," the statement said.
AP