Australia/Iraq

Former hostage in Iraq wants asylum for rescuers

Article published on the 2009-02-24 Latest update 2009-02-24 08:59 TU

Australian Prime Minister Paul Rudd
(Credit: Reuters)

An Australian contractor who was held hostage in Iraq wants his Iraqi army rescuers to be given asylum after he said they and their families were targeted by Al-Qaeda as part of "payback attacks." Douglas Wood said that seven of the soldiers and their family members had been killed after he was rescued.

"The deaths and attacks were not part of their jobs in the army but at their homes, taking their children to school, in transit," Wood wrote in an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to ask for asylum for the remaining two soldiers. One of them was injured in an attack.

In his letter, Wood described the men as "living in fear" and hiding in the Middle East.

The commander of the operation, Colonel Mohammed al-Samrae, was given asylum in the US after he received several death threats and attempts were made on his life, wrote Wood.

"If he hadn't gone in that day, Colonel Mohammed, I'd be dead. the whole operation was going to close the next day, they were going to cut my throat off and show me to the world," he wrote.

He said he owed his life to the soldiers who came to his rescue.

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans told parliament that he did not believe the two remaining soldiers had applied for asylum, but that he would meet with Wood to look into the matter.

"I am keen to see what I can do," Evans told parliament.

Rudd withdrew the remaining 550 combat troops from Iraq last year. At the time, the government said it would offer permanent residence to the 600 Iraqi employees working with Australian troops if they wanted asylum.