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Subscribe to RSSAfter being held captive for five days in Syria, NBC's Richard Engel and his team recount being ambushed, blindfolded and traumatized before being freed at a checkpoint.
Updated at 8:15 a.m. ET: NBC News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and members of his network production team were freed from captors in Syria after a firefight at a checkpoint on Monday, five days after they were taken prisoner, NBC News said early Tuesday.
“After being kidnapped and held for five days inside Syria by an unknown group, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. We are pleased to report they are safely out of the country,” the network said in a statement.
“It is good to be here,” Engel said during a live appearance on TODAY from Turkey. “I’m very happy that we’re able to do this live shot this morning.”
Engel said that they were traveling with Syrian rebels when a group of about 15 gunmen “jumped out of the trees and bushes” and captured them.
'Psychological torture'
He said the gunmen executed one of the rebels “on the spot,” and later during their captivity they were subjected to mock executions while blindfolded and bound.
"We weren't physically beaten or tortured. It was a lot of psychological torture, threats of being killed," Engel said.
"They made us choose which one of us would be shot first and when we refused there were mock shootings. They pretended to shoot Ghazi [Balkiz, an NBC producer] several times,” Engel said.
Balkiz said that they had “worked with each other very well… we kept each other’s spirits up” during their ordeal. Cameraman John Kooistra said he had “made good with my maker” and had been “prepared to die many times.”
Engel said their captors “were talking openly about their loyalty to the government” of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
He said he had a “very good idea” about who they were -- members of the “shabiha” militia, loyal to Assad, trained by the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and allied with Lebanon-based group Hezbollah.
Engel said their captors’ plan was to use them to win the freedom of people held by the rebels.
“They captured us in order to carry out this exchange,” he said.
NBC News file
Richard Engel at the end of a reporting trip in Syria in July of this year.
Engel, 39, and his team disappeared shortly after crossing into northwest Syria from Turkey on Thursday. The network had not been able to contact them until learning that they had been freed on Monday.
The network said there was no claim of responsibility, no contact with the captors and no request for ransom during the time the crew was missing.
After entering Syria, Engel and his team were abducted, tossed into the back of a truck before being transported to an unknown location believed to be near the small town of Ma’arrat Misrin. During their captivity, they were blindfolded and bound, but otherwise not physically harmed, the network said.
Early Monday evening local time, the prisoners were being moved to a new location in a vehicle when their captors ran into a checkpoint manned by members of the Ahrar al-Sham brigade, a Syrian rebel group. There was a confrontation and a firefight ensued. Two of the captors were killed, while an unknown number of others escaped, the network said.
The NBC News crew was unharmed in the incident. They remained in Syria until Tuesday morning when they made their way to the border and re-entered Turkey, the network said. They were to be evaluated and debriefed, but had communicated that everyone was in good health.
NBC News said it “expressed its gratitude to those who worked to gather information and secure the release of our colleagues.”
Engel is widely regarded as one of America’s leading foreign correspondents for his coverage of wars, revolutions and political transitions around the world over the last 15 years. Most recently, he was recognized for his outstanding reporting on the 2011 revolution in Egypt, the conflict in Libya and unrest throughout the Arab world.
One of the only Western journalists to cover the entire war in Iraq , Engel was named chief foreign correspondent of NBC News in April 2008. He joined the network in May 2003.
The Syrian civil war began in March 2011, when demonstrators took to the streets to show support for the so-called Arab Spring uprisings sweeping across the Middle East and north Africa and to demand the resignation of Assad of the ruling Ba’ath Party. The following month, Assad deployed the Syrian army to quell the uprising, ordering troops to open fire on demonstrators. But despite the harsh crackdown, Assad’s troops and militias loyal to the government were unable to quell what soon became an armed uprising.
In the intervening months, the security situation in the country has continued to deteriorate amid increasingly fierce fighting between Syrian troops and a loose confederation of outgunned but increasingly emboldened rebel forces. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated in November that more than 40,000 people had died in the fighting.
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Leave a Comment:
OH! In reading NBC news, I didn't realize he had been abducted! Nice news blackout there. I suppose NBC was demonstrating sensitivity to the situation and instead chose to keep busy exploiting grieving parents at a funeral service for their advertising dollars.
Yay and what a relief. I hope they are more careful in protecting him, he's probably the best reporter working today, certainly the most qualified for reporting in the Middle East. Be safe Richard.
Something smells REALLY FISHY here!!! I learned of this yesterday, searched the entire web and every link was blacked out but one! WHY would NBC keep this a secret for 5 days?
I'm just wondering WHY NBC isn't reporting on their missing journalist???
http://gawker.com/5969029/richard-engel-is-missing-in-syria-nbc-news-enforces-news-blackout
I certainly hope he doesn't suffer the same fate Chris Stevens did!!
Hey Richard....glad youre safe, better call Lara Logan and compare notes!
Don't know if you read the article or not, but it said that NBC was unaware of his whereabouts till AFTER he was released on Monday.
FedupwithFed, actually if you read other sites or UK papers, NBC asked for a news blackout on this. In reading this article, it appears the reason for the blackout was so he and the crew could leave the country safely. It says they remained in Syria until Tuesday morning before making their way into Turkey. The last thing they needed was everyone knowing what just happened while they are trying to leave.
in reading the article??? It doesnt say NBC or the military swooped in to save him, it says they ran into a checkpoint. Why the blackout? Turkish media was reporting it and fellow reporters were tweeting on it. So now we can praise the rebel group? FISHY!!!!
@ Jemma77,
Could it be our Government does the same thing? Maybe like when all hell broke loose in Benghazi? You can bet if it had been military personnel on a mission for America they would be screaming to know why the story wasn't broadcast at the time the abduction was taking place.
Seriously Treblehook66? Everything has to be a conspiracy, huh?
Bitter much?
treblehook66: That is cynical. Maybe it had to do with safety and not black out of info in favor of more sensational news. I for one am happy to know that Richard Engle and his team, whose reporting is invaluable from that part of the world, are safe. He is a hero and is well versed on the different factions at play so that we may better understand the whys and wherefores things are happening in cultures unfamiliar to most Americans. Stay safe Richard!!
That was my first thought when I read the story. I don't remember one headline or story of the abduction, there is so much "coverage" of the CT shooting. Not trying to downplay what happened there but I don't think we necessarily need 24/7 stories from every person involved in the massacre, every speculation of what went on the the mind of the shooter, every little story. MSNBC and others are capitalizing on the tragedy and ignoring other important news stories, as in the case of the Engels & crew abduction.
"Never miss taking every opportunity to make a complete fool of yourself" ~ Treblehook66 (2012)
It's a good thing that he is alive and well. Maybe now he will be more careful, and watch where he goes and what he says.
The Middle East is not particularly kind to reporters, especially those that always want to make a sensational appearance ever time that they talk.
Treblehook66 wrote
Good grief, Treblehook66. In case you forgot where you are, Newsvine is hosted by NBC News; i.e., you are a guest here. Commenting here is a privilege, not a right. When invited into another person's home do you feel it is appropriate to piss on their carpet?
If you are over the age of 12, you should try behaving like a grownup, rather than a petulant, ill-mannered adolescent. Seriously, ...grow up!
Glad to see that I wasn't the only one that had no idea that this even happened. Now this is how you keep a secret.
Great News - he's one of the Press "Good Guys". Its a relief to know he and his team are ok.
These are men who were facing death in no uncertain terms. They were mock "executed" multiple times. One man "made peace" with his Maker. These men have an understanding of hope that words may never be able to express. Here's to a long and fruitful life for these men. I don't know if the "media blackout" helped in this circumstance, but these men are now safe and we are happy for them.
it's a damn war zone,they should have been shot!Both sides are fighting(killing) for what they feel are just cause and some moron with a camera and microphone wants to exploit the situation. The media does not help the situation and if anything prolongs the whole ordeal.Bottom line,there's gonna be a winner and a loser and the media is not helping either. Oh,BOb in Oregon,this is a place to comment if you don't like other peoples opinions pick up your Dick and Jane books and crawl back into your warm fuzzy little world. In the mean time clean up Treblehooks little mess on your carpet.
gunowner45 wrote:
And yet another 12-year old chimes in.
Well said Robert.
The idiotic conspiracies that some of these kids come up with are really stretching the imagination and are coming across desperately pathetic. Did you guys ever think that one of the worst things you can do is let hostage takers know they have a very well known and/or important captive? We don't know how much NBC actually knew and that's a good thing. Maybe there are still a few people who can keep their mouths shut instead running to a camera to tell-all. From what I read, looks like they handled it just fine.
And for those of you bitching because "he shouldn't have been there in the first place", jesus...you complain about the media feeding us canned stories, and then bitch again when they try to report from the front lines? Either stop bitching or turn the TV and computer off.
The point is, he was MISSING since 12/13! Not ONE word was reported until now. WHY???
(Re: angry and fearful posts
We need mental health for ALL Americans. How can it be delivered to some who need it the most: the ones who secretly display their sicknesses on the internet in news threads. They bully and display the worst of themselves because of how they view the world and how they view the world is sick. Fear brings the worst out in them. These pitiful people are greatly in need of help out of their personal hells. It is obvious to everyone but them.)
I've watched NBC nightly news for as long as I can remember, and I have to say that alot of the reporters have put their lives in harms way to be able to give us the news from around the world and locally...Mr. Engel has always been there and I for one am glad that he is safe and sound....I'm pretty sure his family is as well...Merry Christmas Rich and to NBC....give him a little something extra under the tree for doing a damn good job
'FedupwithFed', I read about this two days ago. Just because you didn't know about it doesn't mean there was a grand NBC conspiracy just to keep YOU uninformed. Besides, it's not necessary, you seem to do a pretty adequate job of remaining uninformed all on your own (I have read your comments, and that point is clear).
NBC News had asked for a news blackout immediately after the abduction. The Network took steps to improve the chances of getting these people out safely, not focusing attention on a dangerous situation or on the abductors. People who do this sort of thing WANT the attention. Gosh, this isn't rocket science. Get a grip.
Fed up,
nbc requested a voluntary blackout for his safety. Geesh, I didn't know we all had to check with you about everything. I have to go to the bathroom, now you are completely informed.
Now if NBC and the rest of the media woud just agree to refrain from overly illuminating the names and backgrounds of mass murders......
"People who do this sort of thing WANT the attention. Gosh, this isn't rocket science."
"Engel said that they were traveling with Syrian rebels when a group of about 15 gunmen “jumped out the trees and bushes” and captured them."
This reinforces the reality that WE HAVE NO ROLES IN SHIITES vs SUNNIS BATTLES ON WHOSE ALLAH IS GREATER!
KEEP AWAY FROM SYRIA AND IRAN. Iran can get as many nukes as it wants from Pakis.
Can anyone change these people even in two decades?
Iraq and Afghanistan are examples right before us!
Several years ago a Fox News reporter was kidnapped in Palestine, Fox asked for a news black out, all news cooperated. Nothing new with this. That being said, Richard Engel and his crew are now safe, why can't we simply rejoice?
The "oh, we hit a checkpoint and they killed our captors and we escaped scratch-free!" sounds way too fishy...
Media organizations, as well as countries btw, regularly negotiate with terrorists when it comes to hostages. They specifically have insurance policies for it. If NBC admitted they paid off the people that kidnapped them they would lose all credibility. I think this is a cover story, as 99% of the time this is standard procedure.
Glad to see everyone made it out, however, I'm sure their family members were a mess during the ordeal.
why did they let them go...
Jonathan-1982062 wrote:
Jonathan, the Syrian rebellion is not a religious conflict. Syria is controlled by a small minority Alawite tribe headed by the Assad family, which has operated a brutal and ruthless, nepotistic authoritarian regime in that Country for more than 40 years.
Assad's father faced a similar rebellion during his dictatorship, and more than 40,000 of the Syrian people were killed. The son, Bashar al-Assad has already facilitated the deaths of an estimated 42,000+ Syrian men, women and many, many children.
Syrian citizens who are trying to throw off the shroud of a dictator and win their freedom, not dispute "whose Allah (God) is greater."
You should consider reading a bit before making such comments.
dayum some of u peeps are ridiculous on here......he was missing....they weren't 100% sure what happened to him since they had NOT had contact with him....how hard is THAT 4 u to get.....off all people I trust what Richard Engel says not u peeps commenting on here......SHEESH!!!!
Abducted? Abduction sounds like a word you would use when rebels detain someone in a war which has no justification given that the rebels are capable of leaving the country. It's not North Korea.
Why was he traveling with an illegal army?
Sounds more like a lawful detention to me if he was detained by uniformed soldiers or loyalists who are respecting Bashar's right to rule when the the rebels are welcome to leave peacefully.
It's good that he is alive, and that his captors were merciful. But it was extremely unintelligent to travel with an army that has the right to leave Syria peacefully.
It was extremely DISRESPECTFUL of him towards Bashar Assad's rightful rule to travel with the rebels given that they are not being held in Syria like North Koreans are.
Richard Engel knows his stuff. It would have been a big loss. I'm glad he's safe (ish, the guy reports from all the hotspots after all). It is guys like Engel, and CNN's Damon and Bergen, who get us the most useful news from the most dangerous places in the world.
Naysayers are just pissing lemons. I'd be just as upset if we lost a Faux News caster or a Hufferington post one. But the extremists only care to look at the world through their own clubbed heads.
A big loss for the forces of darkness.
I mean who else will the dark side get to hold Bashar Assad's presidency hostage by reporting from the side of rebels who have every right and ability to leave peacefully.
It's manipulative reporting. Worse than that it has the ability to cost people their lives. People on the right side.
I am not Syrian or Islamic and can see that reporting for rebels who have the right to leave is irresponsible.
He was holding Bashar Assad's regime hostage with his one side reporting, and then he got held hostage by Assad loyalists. Sounds like divine justice to me if I ever saw it.
Damn, Buds and Suds, I know you said you aren't Syrian or Islamic....
....but maybe you are and you just don't know it?
I think a 'discovery' of yourself is waiting in Syria for you. You should go there. In fact, I'm gonna call BS on you if you don't. Let us know how it is when you get there.
Will that would have been a big loss for Obama's news one less person to lie to the country and feed us what Obama wants us to know.
Go back to Hufferington Post Bob James.
I know, you thought I'd say Faux News, right?
Its the fact that you think that you and either news agency aren't extremists of the exact same kind.
That's right, I just said you are the same kind of an extremist as someone who works at the Huffington post. Off you go now.
OMG !!! Richard I so glad to see you, we really don't care about the news if you are at risk , God bless you all !! please go home for Christmas and be safe always .
Love,
the Miller Family.
TO: Treblehook66 who wrote:
Obviously, you didn't bother to read the article.
NBC didn't know he had been captured, until after he was released.
TO: Bob James-7423676 who wrote:
If you think NBC News is "lying" to you, why are you here?
You've got Fox Noise and a bunch of other websites, cable channels, radio stations, and tons of other media making up the kind of B.S. you want to hear.
Robert in Oregon: Are the Assads worse than Saudi Arabian and other Sunni rulers?
Some like I remained silent before Iraqi wars to remove Saddam and save Kuwaiti ruler with 65 wives (first act US soldiers was to fix his golden toilet).
Later US stationed US forces without Bible to save Saudi rulers with 5000 princes and princesses.
In Saudi Arabia, Shiites, females and non-Muslims are treated worse than slaves.
The same ungrateful and backstabbing culprits/criminals manipulated high oil prices and gave PIIGS, huge US unemployment and debts. They also funded hate preaching and killer training Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques all over the world.
How many mosques were there before 1991 and how many are there now?
It was a mistake to remain silent in those days.
Those, who considered themselves as intelligent and talked/screamed/acted on directions of Saudis and other Sunni rulers, oil companies and lobbyists ended as the biggest fools!
After losing lots of soldiers, spending huge monies and piling up debts, even to withdraw forces from Iraq one needed more forces!
Only intelligent and who know all on earth can explain the disgraceful way of fighting wars! There should be better ways to run than in Vietnam, Somalia, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.
Syria and Iran are not different and they are Shiites or some sect vs Sunni wars!
Choices are to fight wars for right causes and right people or just go wars, wars and wars as McCains, Bushes, Romeny, Netanyahus and end up as big losers from all sides!
You are right, Robert in Oregon, it is like some of these folks are pissing on the carpet (even more so on the MSNBC site). I have felt the same way. It is a public forum, however, there is a moderator and there are terms of use. Comments can be deleted. Therefore, when a person comes onto a site and posts rude and nasty comments, it is hardly different than going into your local hardware store (a public place) and screaming about how stupid and dumb the store owners, clerks, and customers are. Most of us wouldn't do that. Anonymity and complete lack of accountability really bring out the worst in some folks.
They are not here to share info, learn anything, or to even share an opinion. They are here to antagonize the progressives. I think we should just shun them - not respond, ignore them. They are looking for attention, and they share nothing but negativity and their own paranoia. If we ignore them, maybe they will go away.
As to the kidnapping, why do some of you folks seem to think we should know everything about everything? To others, when you know everything, you still are desperate to believe there is some deep, dark conspiracy. As has been mentioned by others, there are some situations when the news should stay out of it until the danger has passed. I have long been amazed at the courage and determination of correspondents who work in troubled areas of the world. And I thank them all for their service.
I hope Richard Engel will take this opportunity to focus more media attention on the heinous crimes of the Assad regime, and remind MSNBC that thousands of people being massacred in Syria is an important story even if it has been going on for a while!
Thousands of people are dying in Syria, but MSNBC can go a whole week without reporting anything about what's going on over there (even after reports of Assad firing Scud missiles and possibly preparing chemical weapons for use on his own people)! As if a hundred people dying last week, or two hundred people dying, is not breaking news, just because there were weeks when five or six hundred people died!
.
40,000 PEOPLE DEAD AND COUNTING, AND STILL NOTHING FROM THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION!
.
Keep providing cover for the administration with your coverage of other stories MSNBC, so that the masses won't ask themselves what their leaders were doing when the next Halabja or the next Srebrenica take place in Syria!
Robert in Oregan: British invented that House of Saud.
US and have kept alive the
House of Saud consists of a megalomaniac, despotic and bigoted ruler and highly corrupt, despotic, bigoted seventh century mindset 5000 princes and princesses. These maniacs of all kinds have assembled huge battalions of girls and women from all over the world.
These very barbaric Sunni beastly rulers don't non-Muslim religious places while they freely subvert by funding their brand of terrorists and mosques.
Don't people have shame to use all big words like human rights, women rights, democracy, secularism and other big words and keep the one-way traffic maniacs and Sunni Islamic religious Nazis alive!
Treblehook66 -
I think NBC did exactly the right thing by blacking this out. By them not announcing it, it lessens Engle's importance. The more attention he would get, the more likely his captors would make more demands, or worse try to make a bigger statement by killing him. Think about it...not everything is a conspiracy. There are valid reasons why some things are not shared with John Q. Public in real time. They have every right to do that. Especially given the fact that they simply didn't know his status. Announcing that would have been the wrong thing to do. And I commend the other networks for abiding by the black-out request. That alone should tell you how sensative the situation was.
Get a grip dude. You act like you are personally affronted by them keeping a secret from you.
(snicker) 2 little news concerning 1 story; 2 much news concerning another.....
I guess the media needs 2 check with Treblehook 2 find the "correct" balance.
All hail King Treblehook!
This guy is a rock star! And a pro. Several yrs. ago, he was embedded with the 101st. in the Korengal valley in afghanistan. Saw him live, broadcasting from literally between the rock & a hard place. That is to say he was crammed between a personnel carrier & a mountain side. While the lads were taking fire from above, below, front & back, he's doin his job like he's reporting on a dog show in the Hamptons. Screw those recliner-rangers & no-scar conspiracy-commandos. As one grunt says to another after a ball-busting cataclysm - "It is very good to see you today sir".
Jonathan-1982062 wrote:
The Abraham Lincoln observation I cited for you previously was his precautionary statement that the person who speaks from ignorance - rather than being silent and concealing his ignorance - will merely succeed in definitively revealing himself to be ignorant. I guess you missed the entire point, as you have illustrated again above.
Your ability to continue to mis-characterize a civilian uprising and rebellion to depose a repressive and brutal 40-plus-year-long dictatorship as anything other than "...SHIITES vs SUNNIS BATTLES ON WHOSE ALLAH IS GREATER!" is simply boneheaded. Like it or not, facts do matter. The Middle East is richly colored and nuanced, despite your desire to see it in black & white.
Your statements reveal that your real issue is your anti-Muslim, anti Islamic bigotry. The presence of Muslims in Syria must, a priori, mean that this rebellion in Syria is a Muslim religious conflict.
In actuality the Syrian dictatorship is neo-Ba'athist and secular not theocratic. Syrian Shi'ites, Sunnis, Christians, Druze, Isma'ilis, Yazidis and other Syrian citizens are fighting and dying side-by-side in a courageous attempt to depose that neo-Ba'athist state which is similar in nature and its history to the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It is a regime which rules through a policy of authoritarianism, forbids opposition or criticism and imprisons, tortures, murders ("disappears") all those who dare to oppose, regardless of their religious affiliation.
Be careful not to let your rhetoric get too far ahead of your knowledge and the facts, because the eventual logical-collision of those things can be a real bitch.
Jonathan-1982062 wrote:
None of which has anything to do with your misstatement that this civilian rebellion in Syria is ".... SHIITES vs SUNNIS BATTLES ON WHOSE ALLAH IS GREATER!"
fed and reblehook - are you aware that this story was prepared by NBC to distract you while two illegal aliens and three wahabi terrorists tunneled under your back yard?
NBC knew that if there were no blackout, you would not suspect a conspiracy and thus might have the presence of mind to detect that your grass was wriggling. Now, when grass wriggles a certain way, it's aliens from space, but when it wriggles with a different rhythm it's wahabists and other people who just don't belong.
So stay vigilant, guys.
Thanks, Jim, for the best chuckle of the day. And the really humorous and ironic part of your sardonic observation is that there will be people such as those you mentioned who after reading your post will now be ramping-up their diligence (aka: "paranoia) to watch for those tell-tail wrigglings of grass in their backyards.
Cheers! ;-)
Outstanding and very welcome good news! So glad that Engel and his family are safe and home for the holidays.
I am glad to hear of his safe return.
Isn't this the same guy who drumed up Iraq war and was "embedded" with the US troops.
To me he is a henchman for those who plant stories. He is not a real reporter. He did a pretty decent job selling news of WMDs in Iraq .... only that they didn't exist. But that's a little problem. Public memory is short. We will forget. We will even forget this fake kidnapping.
Robert in Oregon:
It is difficult to change some, who come to conclusions without knowing all details and having an open mind. Those types of people do jumping, jumping, screaming, screaming and abusing.
There was rebellion of Shiites against the despotic and highly corrupt Sunni ruler of Bahrain.
Brave Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League nations sent their forces and just quelled the Shiites rebellion in no time.
All of a sudden, these seventh century fountainheads of Sunni Islamic haters and killers, remembered “human rights violations” in Syria.
So the Sunni rulers of Arab League sent “human rights” group to Syria.
The head of the Saudi and their Sunni Arab League observers to Syria was a Sudanese Gen. The brave Gen was responsible for the genocides of at least 300000 Christians in Darfur!
Also, Islamists were responsible for genocides of millions of Christians in Sudan, Nigeria and other places.
When some thousands start dying in Syria, Iraq or some place pinpointed by Saudi Arabia, oil companies and their lobbyists, all of a sudden some wake up!
Are those hurt by genocides of Islamists in Africa not humans?
Let there be some conistency even in presenting arguments! Logical thinking is beyond some!!!!
More jokes in Syria (pre Iraqi wars had too many of them with lots of people jumping and screaming):
Sunni Arab League human rights observer group dramas did not work.
Of course, House of Saud ruler and his 5000 princes and princesses and other Sunni ruling seventh century desert dancers did their dancing along with the Arab League "human rights" group.
Those dances did not work!!!
Later they outsourced their dirty work to Turkey.
You see: Turkey is a strategic NATO ally and too much of Turkey’s seventh century Islamist Erdogan’s dances mean US, Britain and other NATO forces members have to pitch in.
What a way to outsource their dirty jobs to NATO forces just like Iraqi wars to save Kuwaiti, Saudi and other “oil rich” rulers!!!
Mind you: once the substitutes for oil become popular or oil vanishes from ME, especially Saudi Arabia, most will go back to their camel days!
Robert in Oregon:
For those who kept the most bigoted Sunni extremist House of Saud alive and talk of anti Islamic bigotry (from Ronald Reagan): Here you go again!!!!
I know the history of Iraq, Syria and socialist Baath Parties!
"When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." ~ Will Rogers.
There are alternatives too.
When you find yourself in a hole, run and hide!
George Bush, Sr, McCain, John Kerry and some more learnt them during Vietnam war.
They cashed their experiences in different ways.
George Bush, Sr went into 1991 Iraqi war without knowing what was going on in the US. During his last days of tenure, he went into to a shopping mall to know what was going on in the US.
1991 Iraqi war resulted in 9/11, one of the worst terrorist attacks in human history.
US, strategic allies, Saudis and Pakis were responsible.
During that time, Bush, Jr and his team knew that they were in a big hole. So Bush, Jr and his team ran and hid in some basements!
Without knowing what Bush, Cheney and co were getting into, they went to Afghan war in 2001 and Iraqi war in 2003.
Only they could do those great things!!
After "accomplishing mission" in Iraq, did you hear much from them? They ran and went into hiding!
Recently, McCain, Hillary, David Cameron, Sarkozy jumped into Libyan liberation and got Gaddhafi removed.
During video on Mohammed protests, most of them knew that they were in big holes. They went into hiding.
Jumping Jacks never learn or stop.
They are into Syria and Iran.
Within a decade, US will be so much crippled with too many ME wars that Jumping Jacks will be in comic books!
Who with some little sense impose sanctions on Iranian oil and manipulate oil prices from around $40 in 2009 to more than $110 now?
I have to learn certain good things from Jumping Jacks!
When I notice the posts of Jumping Jacks like Robert in Oregon, I know that I am in a hole!
I will give up; I will run; and hide for some time instead of replying (Bushes and McCain style).
Lastly as a writer let me add: if you don't know what you are getting into, you don't know where you are going to!!!!!!
That is going to be repeated in Syria and Iran just like Iraqi wars and Afghan war!
Bye, bye to you (I am going to run and hide in some basement)!
Sounds more like Engel was hot dogging and pushing for a Pulitzer. Too bad he had to so and needlessly endanger not only himself but his crew as well! Glad he and crew got out alive, but is was still a pretty boneheaded thing to do.
I am so glad he is okay, i've been worried about him all night! The bravery that team has is incredible!
Do I detect sarcasm?
josh...here's ya some music...to go with your comment...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GztV3yWNJJw
Same goes here. I went to bed worried about him after reading on the Daily Mail that he was missing for 5 days!!!!! Thank God he is safe. Wonder if they had any access to news and what has been going on here.
Such a brave man. I hope this dosn't put him off. He should try again.
I am so glad that everyone is OK. These journalists put themselves in such peril just to keep the rest of us informed.
He's got the juice & the heart & the experience. He'll be Okay. A walking testimony to American courage.
Yeah a real reporter who sold us the WMD stories from Iraq. Now he is selling kidnapping stories from syria.
Amen that he and his crew are OK.
Richard Engel is always in the thick of the worst foreign conflict stories. I'm amazed something like this hasn't happened before.
I agree, he is a daring young man. Glad him and his crew are safe. :-)
I would hate to be a relative of Richard or any member of his team. They have been in some "strained" situations over the years.
Richard is a true journalist and delivers thoughtful and insightful information with every report.
So glad all are safe. Be well.
The reporting by Richard and his team last year from Cairo (Tahrir Square) was nothing short of phenomenal. And he was a target the entire time he was there, in public. Not all heroes in times of conflict wear uniforms.
The courageous reports by Richard and his cameramen from Syria is likely to someday be used as evidence in Asad's trial in the Hague (if Asad survives being hung by his heels in the public square by the Syrian people).
I agree that Richard Engle has always been in some seriously dangerous sites and situations and I have wondered how he has avoided such an incident up until now. He and his team are the best at reporting overseas conflicts to keep the rest of us informed. I hope they enjoy their friends and family for the Holidays and remain safe on their future assignments to do a very dangerous job. God Bless and continue to Protect them.
With limitations, these reporters like Richard Engel had been doing a good job.
May be some times, they were forced to report like killing of "children", "women", chemical weapons and so on.
With Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other rich Sunni rulers, oil companies and their lobbyists on the side of Syrian rebels, it is tough to be too impartial!
Engel is one of the few people I look up to. Be safe Engel and team, the sane and compassionate among us are glad you are all OK.
There's a fine line between tenacity and stupidity; and Richard Engel crossed it. Thank god it didn't cost his life and the lives of his team but come on man, do you have a death wish? And still, people died. Way to say out of the story!
That said, I like Richard Engel. I follow his reports and respect the job he's done ... but you could have done the report from Turkey and asked agents to smuggle some footage out to you.
Why not "ask" the Syrian government for permission to enter / report from their side and not the Muslim extreme-ists?
Calling a person stupid for risking life to report important events to the world is foolish on your part.
"Why not "ask" the Syrian government for permission to enter / report from their side and not the Muslim extreme-ists?"
I'm not sure if that is sarcasm. The Syrian government, or what's left of it, has never authorized any media from the get go.
Perhaps that's a fair warning signal in itself. Which brings me to my next point:
He's pretty stupid considering the aforementioned that you brought up. Syria is another Middle Eastern country in turmoil over the same garbage as the rest have been. Power shift in terrorist cells. None of which care about American lives, so perhaps that should have been clue enough.
Stupid? Edward R. Morrow reporting from the middle of London during the Blitz; Walter Cronkite flying with a B-17 crew over Germany (at a time when an average of one-out-of-five B-17s didn't return; Ditto for Life photographer Dorthea Lange in a B-24; Robert "If your photos aren't good enough, you're not close enough" Capa who died in Vietnam in 1954 with a camera in his hand; Larry Burrows and the 134 other photojournalists who died in Vietnam and Indochina. Are they all stupid?
No, they died bringing you true, honest news - news that has not been reinterpreted by couch-potatoes (myself, for example), Fox news bimbos, and pundits (and politicians) and the worlds' citizens who've never been close to a war (myself, for example).
I honor and respect Richard Engle and his peers for bravery beyond the call of duty. They don't have to be there but the CHOOSE to be there to be there to report, on the ground, truthfully and from both sides if it's possible, what's happening.
I don't mention print journalists here who have died, but there have been many. Since I'm a videographer and photographer those are the heroes I have followed. But the print journalists are just as important. One picture may be worth a thousand words but one word may also be worth a thousand pictures. Either way their bravery -and sometime sacrifice is appreciated and respected.
Stupid? Heh...
Should have kept them. Only a select few commies watch that trash spewing their poison to amuse their king, oBozo.
@ Lord - could have done the job from turkey?? like most of the correspondents in the nam - all getting their byline from the same shoe shine boy on Tu-do street in Saigon. Or like every politician in DC-town that has never been there, but has no problem "sending someone else". Yeah, courage & integrity - it counts for so little. Only that last half inch of your life.
Yo Chris - don't forget Marie Colvin (RIP) died in syria when this $hit$torm began. I forgot Larry Burrows. Met him once in the highlands. Now that you mention him, I see his ugly mug again. Ill never understand that kind of courage. Going through a war is bad enough, but going through it without a weapon & a backup takes big brass ones.
Welcome home, Richard and Buddies! Have valued your mid East coverage for a long while. Have family there and trust you to keep me aware of what's important.
This is great news. But do you think the reason why they were released was because Gawker broke the news internationally? Not sure why NBC chose to stay mum on the story. The guy had been captured since Dec 6.
Because if MAJOR news outlets (...not Gawker) started reporting and playing footage of all this, it would have made the captors think they have a super valuable commodity that they can get stuff in exchange for (look at North Korea when they had two Vanguard journalists, Clinton was sent, as were some concessions like food aid) and half of the time negotiations with crazy people don't work, so best to lie low as long as possible, in order to get a relatively safe release.
Exactly FWIW-4141964.
Had to wait for the ransom funds to get there...what a WASTE of good money from the communist coffers.
Reading through your posting history has now convinced me of the benefits of forced medicating.
@Kota - your brains are showing & they look like your pop-tart wrapper collection. Stay on the porn sites
While I greatly respect Richard for placing himself in harm's way to get stories which would be otherwise unobtainable, I think it can be compared to standing on a dock during a hurricane to report about the weather - is it truly necessary?
if u TRULY think this then please move to China....thank you!!!
j4578 - would you rather have reality spun by some politician until it looks like cotton candy & conclude with "They did not die in vain"? They all died in vain as long as spineless jellyfish repeat the same failed behavior. You know the type. Them that crawl instead of stand. Them that by their vote, or lack thereof elect prostitutes who send other men to criminal wars - make mercenaries of our young. No, journalists are not necessary. neither are veteran's hospitals - as soon as we unload a few back door schemers & power trip dreamers. Have a nice day sonny-BOY.
Familiar with international travel to less than the finest destinations, Ric, I have to say... ya got balls.
But then again, just as a friend... I might suggest that you keep them.
You been beating the odds for a long time. Who do you know who shines?
Good to hear Richard Engle is fine, he is a great journalist.
yes, what a relief.
The Syrian government is actively blocking the media, even shut down the internet to try and keep people from learning that the evil tyrants were planning nerve gas attacks against the rebels.
Sneaking in is the only way to get information about what is going on, especially since the Syrian dictatorship are the ones who are at the heart of all of the carnage and deaths going on in the country.
Mr. Engel; I have enormous respect for your journalistic abilities. However, it's clear that in Syria, you have been branded with a very large bullseye on your back. Please, take a break, come back home and return in the future to fight another day. Your reports are so valuable; don't let us hear that you're just one more casualty among journallists.
Great to hear that Engel is safe as is the rest of his team. Hope he'll be on Rachel Maddow tomorrow or the next day or so to talk about what happened......
and I can't wait to see him on AMERICAN TV safe and sound.....u go Ruchard.....u are truly one of the BEST at what u do and I am grateful for ur reporting.....he's not bad on the eyes either:)
Very happy to hear that Richard and his crew are back safely.My son and I love watching what he reports on and wonder how he had made it out safely from every country.His luck almost ran out.
Eerie to realize Richard Engel is 39same age David Bloom was when he died over in Irag.
I'm glad that Richard and his crew are doing fine, but boy does he give me a near scare...!!!
Put him in front of a Green Curtain!
I didn't even know he was missing! So glad to hear that he's okay. One of my favorite journalists and he seems like a really nice guy, to boot! Please come home and stay home for a while, Mr. Engel. No story is worth your life. Please be safe.
HOLY MOLY! Where was I five days ago?!?
This got my heart pumpin. I just watched an "I Survived" episode of a reporter working for CBS getting kidnapped by the Taliban. His story scared me. Glad to hear everything is fine.......for the both of them.
I worry about this beautiful man everytime he goes to the Middle East.
For heaven's sake NBC, give him an anchor post state-side. He's to precious to lose.
I think neither he nor we would be benefiting from having him report about cute puppies and mass shootings from the warmth and comfort of a studio in NYC. Somebody's gotta do it and I'm glad Richard Engle has the cajones to pull it off. Stay safe, Richard, but keep bringing us real news from afar.
Marry me Richard.
me 1st....oh dayum I'm already married.....LOL....sorry honey!!!!
I want a Divorce.
How the hell did I miss this story???!!!
Thank God they're ok
No reason to keep the crew alive except for the possibility ransom. Things are never cut and dry and money, well that's always at the top of the list. Good luck Richard!
Richard Engel- Mideast Correrspondent- is very lucky to be back from Syria. All the best . The Liwaa al-Salifah people and other Tahwed previously branded him 'a spy'-before he was abducted together with Aziz Akyavos and the crew. The rebels fall in so many categories- and Richard Engel was truly lucky to be freed. In Syria- they still hold Ukrainian corrspondent for whom the AQ-affiliated rebels are demanding $50 million ransom. BTW- Richard Engel is one of the best war correspondents for US news.
it was all over GAWKER.COM,it was on there front page,while NBC was trying to keep it quiet,nbc was negotiating with whoever took him, and they think keeping it quiet will help,cause before another reporter was missing' david rohde' kidnapped, and later he escaped, but the militants holding rohde had specific instructions to keep his condition quiet,GAWKER. COM allmost cost richard his life, and the turk guy' who cares about the turk, im worried about our guy cause it was turkey that was told by nbc not to put richards kidnapping on there news, what did they do! as soon as they got off the phone with nbc they put the news on every one of there chanels, dam muslim sh!t! i dont know why in the hell were sending our guys over to turkey to protect there borders from syria,bring all our reporters back home and our men & women, and let them unleash those chemical weapons,just get all the children first out of that country there all innocent, those bastard muslims have no care whatsoever for human life, we as a whole country are devastated over our 26 people killed in conn. our whole country is mourning everyday since this happen, may god bless all the familys of the 20 children 6 teachers/princible, there lives were taken by this animal, s.o.b,bastard,i wonder if his fathers name is assad the same guy thats killing all the children in syria,KIDS ARE INNOCENT ALLOVER THE WORLD WHY! WHY! WHY!