Journalists relate attack and abduction

BAGHDAD: Iraqi gunmen ambushed two vans carrying Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy) members and Malaysian journalists, shooting dead an Iraqi pharmacist and Syrian driver and injuring two Mercy members. 

They kidnapped three journalists from the Joint Media Team Malaysia (JMTM) and a Mercy member but released them four hours later after learning that they were Malaysians. 

Acting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters in Kepala Batas that Mercy president Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood and another worker, Dr Baba Md Deni, were injured in the ambush by a group of gunmen at 12.30pm Baghdad time (4.3Opm Malaysian) on Saturday. 

EMOTIONAL:(From left)Fernandez,Omar and Anuar could not control their sadness whiledescribing how they were attacked when they arrived at the hotel they were staying in.

They sustained hip injuries. 

The abducted journalists later spent a night at the Al-Qadasiah Hospital as it was unsafe to travel during the night. 

The three, New Straits Times photographer Anuar Hashim, RTM camera crew member Omar Salleh and The Sun reporter Terence Fernandez, have since returned to the Malaysian media centre based at the Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad and were well. 

After driving off from the Al-Kindi Hospital for about one km, the two vans carrying the Malaysian team were ambushed by a group of armed civilians who opened fire at the vehicles, the JMTM team reports. 

The first van driven by a Syrian, Al-Muharin, was carrying two Iraqis, a pharmacist identified as Husin and translator Khalid Al Muzamin, along with Dr Jemilah, Dr Baba and Mercy volunteer Dan Ziong Kiang. 

Husin was killed on the spot while Dr Jemilah and Dr Baba were injured. The other passengers managed to escape unhurt. 

The tailing van was driven by a Syrian named Vohan, who was also shot dead. In the vehicles were Mercy’s Dr Taufik Jemain, another Mercy staff member Anita Ahmad and a translator. 

Dr Taufik was with Anita and RTM's Omar in front of the van and behind them was the NST's Anuar. Fernandez was seated behind Anuar.  

From the visual recorded by Omar, who had left his camera running, the situation was chaotic. There were gunshots and Anuar exclaimed Allahhu Akbar. 

When the van came to a halt, the attackers tried to pull Anita out of the van but were stopped by Anuar. A gun was pointed at Omar’s head and he let go of his camera while they surrounded Anuar and Anita and took them into a house. 

After holding them for four hours, the attackers apologised many times because they thought the vans the Malaysians were in were carrying Syrian troops as the vehicles had Syrian number plates. 

Those who were detained were treated well. The Malaysians were then sent in a truck by the attackers to the Al-Qadasiah Hospital. –JMTM  

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