THE Christian group whose activists were freed in a British-led raid in Baghdad yesterday did not thank their rescuers but instead called on them to withdraw from Iraq.

In a long statement released in Toronto, the leaders of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) described how delighted they were to hear about the release of their three abducted members. But they pointedly failed to acknowledge that the hostages had been freed in a military operation involving British, American, Canadian and Iraqi forces. Instead they blamed the presence of foreign troops for Iraq’s problems.

Doug Pritchard, co-director of CPT, said the hostages knew that their only protection was in “the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers”. No mention was made of the special forces, intelligence officers and police who worked for months to secure the men’s release.

“We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by multinational forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq today. The occupation must end,” Mr Pritchard said. “Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to our friends and sorrow to their families.”

The response was to be expected from a pacifist organisation that has stubbornly remained in Iraq long after most other aid groups have fled. Even after four members of the CPT group were kidnapped in November last year, and one of them murdered this month, volunteers from the organisation remained in Baghdad with little or no protection.

The CPT office is in a rented apartment in a central district of the capital. It is staffed by three American women volunteers who travel unescorted, shop locally and mingle with ordinary Iraqis. The only protection for the CPT office comes from the Iraqi guards who keep watch over a neighbouring building.

The group was founded two decades ago by Ronald Sider, a Canadian-born American theologian, who called for Christians to be prepared to “die by the thousands” for peace to counter those killed by armies at war. Volunteers for duty in Baghdad must sign an agreement declaring that they understand that they might be injured, kidnapped or killed.

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