2 Italians Missing in Afghanistan

AP - Italian troops missing in Afghanistan

Two Italian military personnel were believed to have been kidnapped in western Afghanistan, and police Sunday said they were searching for the pair and their two Afghan staff.

The Italian Defense Ministry said that the two Italians had made no contact for several hours, that their families had been notified, and that an investigation was underway.

"We believe they have been kidnapped together with two Afghans," the ministry said in Rome. "The personnel were carrying out liaison activities with local civilian authorities. Searches are underway."

5 Britons Questionably Abducted in Iraq

BBC - Five Britons abducted in Baghdad

Five Britons have been kidnapped from Iraq's finance ministry in Baghdad, the British government has confirmed.

Those abducted include four bodyguards from security company GardaWorld and a finance expert.

Witnesses and sources told the BBC that the kidnappers wore police uniforms and arrived in up to 40 police vehicles.

There are conflicting reports about exactly how Tuesday's abduction took place.

Witnesses said it was carried out by what appeared to be a police unit.

The street was sealed off at both ends and the kidnappers, in police camouflage uniforms, walked straight past guards at the finance ministry building on Palestine Street, the witnesses said.

A police source told the BBC that dozens of police vehicles were used in the operation.

The BBC's Paul Wood in Baghdad says that if such reports are true, it could point to the involvement of a renegade police unit, possibly special commandos.

While it has been possible in the past for criminals or militants to hire police uniforms and vehicles, he says, the scale of this operation suggests real police involvement.

It is well known that the Iraqi police are heavily infiltrated by militia groups, leading to split loyalties and corruption, our correspondent says.

Iran: British Captives Freed

AP - Iran says 15 British captives free

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a surprise move that defused escalating tension in the Middle East, announced the release of 15 captive British sailors and marines Wednesday in what he called an Easter gift to the British people.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said the Britons had been released, added that he bore "no ill will" toward the Iranian people following the 13-day standoff.

The breakthrough eased tensions that have been increasing steadily, raising fears of military conflict in the volatile region and prompting a spike in oil prices. It suggested that Iran's hard-line leadership had decided Tehran had demonstrated its strength in the standoff but did not want to push the crisis too far.

Despite the announcement, however, the crew members had not arrived at the British Embassy as of 9 p.m local time in Tehran.

U.S. Rejects Prisoner Exchange

BBC - US rejects Iran captives exchange

US officials have ruled out a deal to exchange 15 Royal Navy personnel captured in the Gulf for five Iranians seized by American forces in Iraq.

State department spokesman Sean McCormack rejected suggestions that a swap could be made.

Here is my post on the 5 captured Iranians.

My other posts on this whole situation can be seen here.

Craig Murray on Iranian Borders

Craig Murray has some interesting posts on his website (www.craigmurray.co.uk) about the Iran/Iraq border not being as clear as the UK is trying to make it seem.

March 30 - Iraq/Iran Maritime Boundaries

March 29 - Both Sides Must Stop This Mad Confrontation, Now

March 28 - Fake Maritime Boundaries

March 27 - Captured Marines (Again)

March 26 - British Marines Captured By Iran

Iran Releases a Second Video

BBC - Iran airs second sailor 'apology'

A second member of the Royal Navy crew captured in the Gulf has apologised for "trespassing" in Iranian waters, in a broadcast on Iranian television.

The crewman, who introduces himself as Nathan Thomas Summers, says: "I would like to apologise for entering your waters without permission."

The video can be seen at the BBC link or by clicking here.

Here is my post containing the first video.

Here are my other related posts:

Iran Captures 15 British Sailors and Marines

Iran Says British Sailors Admit Illegal Entry

Will British Sailors Be Charged With Espionage?

UK Reveals Evidence Against Iran

BBC - UK reveals Iran dispute evidence

Satellite data proves 15 navy personnel being held in Iran were 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when they were seized, UK defence officials say.

Reports suggest the only woman among the group will be freed shortly.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman is quoted as saying Faye Turney, 26, would be released either later on Wednesday or on Thursday.

Iran has insisted the group were in its waters when they were taken last Friday.

Iran's embassy in London also issued a statement in response to the UK data, in which it said the sailors and marines had been 0.5 km inside Iranian waters at the time they were seized.

There has been a video released showing the captured personnel and what looks like a forced statement made by one of them.

Metro - Iran releases tape of captured servicemen (UPDATE - March 31: This link no longer goes to the article that it used to.)

Footage of the 15 British service personnel taken captive by Iran was broadcast tonight.

The tape shows the group being arrested, eating food in captivity, together with an interview with Faye Turney.

They have now said Turney will be released with a letter for her parents saying the group were 'apparently' in Iranian territory.

The video:

LiveLeak - Footage Of British Sailors Broadcast By Iran W/ Audio



Here are my previous posts on this situation:

Iran Captures 15 British Sailors and Marines

Iran Says British Sailors Admit Illegal Entry

Will British Sailors Be Charged With Espionage?

Will British Sailors Be Charged With Espionage?

The Sunday Times - Iran ‘to try Britons for espionage’

A website run by associates of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, reported last night that the Britons would be put before a court and indicted.

Referring to them as “insurgents”, the site concluded: “If it is proven that they deliberately entered Iranian territory, they will be charged with espionage. If that is proven, they can expect a very serious penalty since according to Iranian law, espionage is one of the most serious offences.”

The penalty for espionage in Iran is death. However, similar accusations of spying were made when eight British servicemen were detained in the same area in 2004. They were paraded blindfolded on television but did not appear in court and were freed after three nights in detention.

Here are my previous posts on the captured sailors:

Iran Says British Sailors Admit Illegal Entry

Iran Captures 15 British Sailors and Marines

Iran Says British Sailors Admit Illegal Entry

Here is my first post about the captured sailors.

AFP - Iran says British sailors admit illegal entry

Iran said on Saturday that 15 British service personnel detained by its navy off Iraq had admitted to violating its territorial waters, rejecting demands from London for their swift release.

The semi-official Fars news agency said the 15 naval personnel, who include a woman, had been brought to the capital Tehran for questioning about what they were doing during what Britain insists was a "routine" anti-smuggling patrol on Friday.

Armed forces general staff spokesman General Alireza Afshar said the 15 had admitted to their interrogators that they knew they were inside Iranian waters, contrary to the insistence of the British defence ministry that they had remained in Iraqi waters.

"They are currently being questioned and have admitted to violating the territorial waters of the Islamic repubic," Afshar told the Fars agency.

Iran Captures 15 British Sailors and Marines

AP - Britain protests Iran seizure of sailors

Iranian naval vessels on Friday seized 15 British sailors and marines in disputed Persian Gulf waters off the coast of Iraq, British and U.S. officials said. The detentions come at a time of high tension between the West and Iran, which accused the British of intruding on its territory.

The British government protested immediately, saying the 15 were taken captive in Iraqi waters and summoning the Iranian ambassador in London to the Foreign Office: "He was left in no doubt that we want them back," Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said after the meeting.

Vali Nasr, a senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, suggested that the latest detentions may be Iranian retaliation for the arrest of five Iranians in a U.S.-led raid in northern Iraq in January. The U.S. said the five included a Revolutionary Guards general.

"I think Iran sees this as retaliation for the arrest of their own personnel. They have repeatedly said that they want their personnel released," Nasr said. "So they are either signalling that they can do the same thing or they are trying to bring attention to it."

Here is my previous post on the 5 captured Iranians.

Here is an article on the effects of the capture of the British personnel on oil:

Reuters - Oil higher after Iran captures UK navy personnel

Oil rose above $62 to a three-month high on Friday after Iran seized 15 British navy personnel, raising concerns about renewed tension between the oil-producing nation and the West.

U.S. crude climbed 64 cents at $62.33 a barrel by 1335 GMT, adding to gains of more than $2 on Thursday. The session high of $62.50 was the strongest level since December 26 last year.

London Brent crude also rose to a three-month high of $63.50 and was trading 78 cents higher at $63.29 by 1335 GMT.