And why not? The Philippines caved so quickly, the jihadists have every reason to believe they have found a winning formula.
DUBAI (Reuters) – Militants in Iraq threatened on Thursday to kill two Bulgarian hostages within 24 hours unless U.S.-led forces freed prisoners, Arabic satellite television Al Jazeera reported….
The tape showed two men, identified as Bulgarians, sitting in front of masked captors, two of them toting automatic weapons while a third read a statement.
Al Jazeera said the captors vowed to kill the hostages unless the United States released imprisoned Iraqis.
“The group said the Bulgarian government bore responsibility over the safety of its citizens because its has sent troops to Iraq,” the television added.
There was no immediate comment from Bulgarian officials, and it was not clear whether the captive Bulgarians were military personnel or civilians.
Bulgaria has been an ally of the United States over Iraq and has contributed troops to U.S.-led forces.