Tiger in Spain 0 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - A Lebanese-born U.S. Marine who went missing in Iraq and was reported at one stage to have been killed by militants was safe at the U.S. embassy in Beirut Thursday, his family and U.S. officials said. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said 24-year-old Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun had been picked up in Beirut after making contact, but gave few details. "We were able to go get him this morning," Boucher told reporters in Washington. "He made contact with us." U.S. embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Wharton said Hassoun had been accompanied by family members. "The priority will be on repatriation back to the U.S. but as for the schedule I'll leave that to the Defense Department," said Wharton. A U.S. defense official at the Pentagon said: "He appears to be healthy. We're working through the details of what the next steps are." In another twist to the story, two people were killed and several were wounded when a gunbattle erupted near the home of Hassoun's family in northern Lebanon, witnesses said. TAUNTS Members of his family traded fire with another family who taunted them by referring to Hassoun and his relatives as U.S. agents, said the witnesses. The area is a stronghold of deeply religious Sunni Muslims with strong clan ties. Blood feuds among rival families are not uncommon. Reuters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitanTiger 20,499 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I think I've pretty much gotten to the point where I think almost everyone that lives over there are wackos, completely unhinged from civilized human understanding and behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny AU-92 0 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 When you consider the INCREDIBLE amount of learning and knowledge that was developed in that part of the world a thousand or so years ago, you wonder how it could be the cesspool it is today. Then you realize - they haven't moved their society forward from the way it was a thousand or so years ago. Their religion does not allow for the influence of a modern civilization. It is stagnant. If they want to live like that, fine - but don't think you have to kill me and mine because I choose not to subscribe to your belief system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger88 934 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 They said on the news today that the U.S. was investigating the possibility of his kidnapping being part of some "elaborate hoax". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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