Ugh. This is
not so good.
The Philippines said on Monday it would withdraw its troops from Iraq as soon as possible to save a Filipino hostage threatened with death by militants.
CNN quoted unidentified Philippine officials as saying they expected truck driver Angelo de la Cruz to be released on Tuesday, but no independent confirmation was available.
Al Jazeera broadcast footage of Philippine deputy foreign minister Rafael Seguis reading out a statement, which the television station translated into Arabic, shortly after the expiry of a new execution deadline set by the militants.
"In response to your request, the Philippines ... will withdraw its humanitarian forces as soon as possible," Seguis said according to the translation of the statement, addressed to the Islamic Army in Iraq group holding 46-year-old de la Cruz.
It's hard to fault the Phillipines. Their 50 soldiers, all doing humanitarian tasks, were scheduled to leave Iraq on August 20. So it was difficult to forfeit the life of the hostage in order to keep those troops in country for a mere 30 days extra.
So they faced two bad choices, and made the one that spared the life of their national. Of course, in doing so, they have emboldened terrorist to continue their rash of foreigner kidnappings, hoping to secure similar victories in the future.
The Phillipines weren't the enemy. They were truly in Iraq on humanitarian grounds. But that distinction was irrelevant to a resistance and terrorist groups seeking ways to isolate the United States.
And as the rationales for war continue to slip away, it becomes increasingly difficult for allies to remain in Iraq in the face of rising human and financial costs.