http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/world/asia/09taliban.html?ref=world
Video Is Said to Be Polish Hostage’s Beheading in Pakistan
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — A graphic video delivered to reporters on Sunday appeared to show the execution of a Polish engineer by Pakistani militants who had held him captive for more than four months.
The seven-minute video appears to show the engineer, Piotr Stanczak, sitting on the floor flanked by two masked men. Off camera, a militant briefly engages him in conversation before three others behead him. One of the hooded men then addresses the camera, blaming Pakistan for the execution because it had not agreed to demands to release Taliban prisoners.
If confirmed, Mr. Stanczak’s death would appear to be the first killing of a Western hostage in Pakistan since Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was beheaded in 2002.
Pakistan has had a rash of kidnappings and attacks on foreigners in recent months, mostly attributed to militants from Al Qaeda and the Taliban trying to destabilize the secular government and punish it for supporting the American-led war next door in Afghanistan.
On Saturday a Taliban spokesman said Mr. Stanczak was killed Friday night because the government had missed a deadline to release 26 prisoners.
On Sunday an intermediary who said he had obtained it from the Taliban gave an Associated Press reporter in northwest Pakistan the video on a flash drive. Reuters also reported receiving a copy of the video.
An Interior Ministry spokesman, Shahidullah Baig, said the government had “heard about” the existence of the video and was investigating.
Piotr Adamkiewicz, a spokesman at the Polish Embassy in Islamabad, said the mission had seen some images from the video. He said it appeared to show the Polish hostage being killed.
What can be the implications of this on Pakistan. And has the situation completely gotten out of Pakistan's hands?
Video Is Said to Be Polish Hostage’s Beheading in Pakistan
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — A graphic video delivered to reporters on Sunday appeared to show the execution of a Polish engineer by Pakistani militants who had held him captive for more than four months.
The seven-minute video appears to show the engineer, Piotr Stanczak, sitting on the floor flanked by two masked men. Off camera, a militant briefly engages him in conversation before three others behead him. One of the hooded men then addresses the camera, blaming Pakistan for the execution because it had not agreed to demands to release Taliban prisoners.
If confirmed, Mr. Stanczak’s death would appear to be the first killing of a Western hostage in Pakistan since Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was beheaded in 2002.
Pakistan has had a rash of kidnappings and attacks on foreigners in recent months, mostly attributed to militants from Al Qaeda and the Taliban trying to destabilize the secular government and punish it for supporting the American-led war next door in Afghanistan.
On Saturday a Taliban spokesman said Mr. Stanczak was killed Friday night because the government had missed a deadline to release 26 prisoners.
On Sunday an intermediary who said he had obtained it from the Taliban gave an Associated Press reporter in northwest Pakistan the video on a flash drive. Reuters also reported receiving a copy of the video.
An Interior Ministry spokesman, Shahidullah Baig, said the government had “heard about” the existence of the video and was investigating.
Piotr Adamkiewicz, a spokesman at the Polish Embassy in Islamabad, said the mission had seen some images from the video. He said it appeared to show the Polish hostage being killed.
What can be the implications of this on Pakistan. And has the situation completely gotten out of Pakistan's hands?