The continuing battle of good verse evil. - I can't imagine the horror that the family of Cpl. Hassoun is going through right now. First they get word from some militant Islamic site that their son and brother is dead and now they get the news supposedly from his captors that he is still alive.
Hussein Dakroub for the AP reports:
A militant group denied on Sunday that it killed U.S. Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, injecting hope into his family's tense wait for news. The fate of the Lebanese-born Marine remains unknown, though Lebanon's Foreign Ministry says he is believed dead.
My heart breaks for this family and Marine.
The whole ordeal begins to sound to me like these evil monsters are attempting to play a propaganda game. I wouldn't be surprised, but I would be saddened, to learn that this Marine is indeed dead and that the captors are attempting to medicate the damage that knowledge would do in the minds of many Muslims across the globe.
The information on Wassef Ali Hassoun and how he was captured, ie. going AWOL because of trauma or the lover's tryst, I think is all suspect at this moment. The best course is to wait, pray, and let the dust settle.
I've no doubt a lot of the dust will be from the boots on the ground of Marines seeking to secure their brother whether he now be dead or alive.
[Incidently, I've sent a trackback to that fabulous tallglassofmilk. I'm certain she wouldn't think it "rude" if I didn't note the fact that I'm reacting in some fashion to her posting, Questions raised with the beheading of this..., with my posting here, but I wouldn't wish to appear rude to other parties. ;-) ]
