The Australian July 22, 2004
Death a whisker away until Manila's retreat
AP, AFP
MANILA: Death came far too close for Filipino hostage Angelo de la Cruz, who says Iraqi insurgents at one point sharpened a sword and probed his neck for the right spot to cut.
But his fate changed dramatically when his captors learned that Filipino troops would withdraw from Iraq to meet their demand and agreed to let him go, according to statements the 46-year-old truck driver gave to Philippines officials and friends after he was freed in Baghdad.
Mr de la Cruz has said publicly that he was treated well during his terror-filled two-week captivity.
"They did not harm me and I'm relieved that I survived. I really thought my time had come," he told a Filipino reporter in Manila.
Mr de la Cruz's nightmare began on July 4 when Iraqi insurgents attacked the convoy of fuel trucks he was travelling in after it had crossed into Iraq from Saudi Arabia.
The insurgents slapped him when he tried to resist.
His Iraqi guard was shot dead but 10 other Filipino drivers were rescued, officials said.
"He had many sleepless nights," one official said. "He was always preoccupied with his potential execution and wondered if that would be done with the use of a sword or a gun.
"He hoped it would be the latter because it seemed much less painful."
In one of the most critical moments, a kidnapper embraced him, saying: "I love you, I love you but I have to do this," the official said.
His abductors sharpened a sword in front of him and examined his neck, apparently looking for the right place to cut.
His captors, identified as the Iraqi Islamic Army-Khalid ibn al-Walid Brigade, had threatened to behead Mr de la Cruz unless the tiny Philippines peacekeeping contingent was recalled from Iraq by the end of July -- a month ahead of schedule.
President Gloria Arroyo initially hesitated. But on July 13, Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis went on television to announce the pullout.
When the insurgents saw that the Government was serious, they cheered and told Mr de la Cruz: "Allah wants you to live," then embraced him, according to the official.
He was even given fare money and told he would be dropped off in Baghdad.
Mr de la Cruz was taken to the United Arab Emirates embassy in the Iraqi capital and from there he was fetched by Philippine diplomats.
He left Baghdad yesterday on a special plane from the United Arab Emirates, which was to fly him to Abu Dhabi for a medical check-up and a reunion with his wife.
Who's in, who's out
Non-US forces in Iraq and related theatre:
Britain 11,000 (4000 more promised ); Italy 2700; Poland 2400; Ukraine 1700; Netherlands 1400; Australia 850 (50 more promised); South Korea 600 (3600 more promised); Romania 700; Japan 600; Bulgaria 485; Denmark 496; Thailand 451; El Salvador 380; Hungary 300; Singapore 33; Mongolia 180; Azerbaijan 151; Norway 10; Latvia 122; Portugal 128; Lithuania 105; Slovakia 105; Czech Republic 80; Albania 70; Georgia 159; New Zealand 60; Estonia 55; Kazakhstan 29; Macedonia 28; Moldova 12; Tonga 45; Total: 26,800.
Countries that have withdrawn troops:
Spain: 1300; Dominican Republic: 302; Honduras: 368; Philippines: 51; Total: 2021.
A 1st Infantry Division soldier killed by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad yesterday became the 900th US casualty since the beginning of the war in March 2003
Source: Globalsecurity.org;
© Copyright 2004, Nationwide News Pty Limited
