Isis shows hostages 'for sale': Militants claim to have captured Norwegian and Chinese nationals
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Version 0 of 1. The Isis militant group claims it has taken a Norwegian and a Chinese man as hostages, and has posted notices describing the two men as “for sale” in the latest edition of its propaganda magazine. Pictures of the men dressed in yellow jumpsuits appeared in the final pages of the 11th edition of “Dabiq”, an online English-language magazine released by the group’s media arm. In what it describes as a “limited time offer”, Isis names the men along with details of their ages and occupations and provides a telegram number. It says: “Whoever would like to pay the ransom for his release and transfer can contact the following.” Speaking at a press conference in Oslo on Wednesday, the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg confirmed that “everything indicates” Isis had captured the Norwegian national in his 40s. She said the man was captured in Syria at the end of January and been held by various different groups before falling into Isis hands. “The kidnappers have put forward a series of demands for significant ransom amounts,” she said. “Our goal is to bring our citizen home. But let me be clear: This is a very challenging case. “We neither can nor will give in to pressure from terrorists and criminals. Norway does not pay ransom. This is a principle we cannot depart from in the face of cynical terrorists.” An Isis fighter, pictured in the militant group's English-language magazine Dabiq Solberg said that to give in to ransom demands would “increase the risk that other Norwegian nationals will be taken hostage”, and said her government had instead engaged with “several other countries [and] various parties in the region that could potentially assist our efforts”. “This is a matter that challenges us as a nation,” she said. “We’re up against forces that recognise no other language than violence and hatred. “We have seen images like these before. Now it is a Norwegian family that’s experiencing fear and terror for one of its loved ones. More than ever, it will now be important that we stand together and stand up for what we believe in.” Chinese officials are yet to provide comment on Isis’s claims. Isis has previously used Dabiq to announce that it is holding hostages and to demand large ransoms. While the US and UK governments have repeatedly refused to pay or negotiate with terrorists, some continental European nations such as Germany, France and Italy are known to have come to agreements with hostage-takers. Also in Dabiq 11, Isis published pictures that appeared to show the destruction of a second temple in the ancient city of Palmyra. Isis also released images showing the apparent destruction of the Temple of Bel in Palmyra Satellite images released by the UN previously confirmed militants had blown up the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, one of the finest ancient structures in the Middle East, at the end of August. The new images showed militants lining the temple with barrels apparently filled with explosives, before detonating the temple’s central structure. On its cover, the magazine showed US President Barack Obama speaking to Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Its cover article rails against "the crusader coalition involved in the war against the Islamic State". |