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US teen runs off to Iraq to see 'struggle between good and evil'
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-30 15:15 Traveling on his own in a land where insurgents and jihadists have kidnapped
more than 400 foreigners, killing at least 39 of them, Hassan walked straight
into a death zone. On Monday, his first full day in Iraq, six vehicle bombs
exploded in Baghdad, killing five people and wounding more than 40.
The State Department strongly advises U.S. citizens against traveling to
Iraq, saying it "remains very dangerous." Forty American citizens have been
kidnapped since the war started in March 2003, of which 10 have been killed, a
U.S. official said. About 15 remain missing.
"Travel warnings are issued for countries that are considered especially
dangerous for Americans, and one of the strongest warnings covers travel to
Iraq," said Elizabeth Colton, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Colton said the embassy's consular section can provide only limited help to
Americans in Iraq, though once officials learn of a potentially dangerous
situation every effort is made to assist.
Inside the safety of Baghdad's Green Zone, an Embassy official from the
Hostage Working Group talked to Hassan about how risky travel is in Iraq.
"This place is incredibly dangerous to individual private American citizens,
especially minors, and all of us, especially the military, went to extraordinary
lengths to ensure this youth's safety, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or even
understand it," a U.S. official who wasn't authorized to speak to the media said
on condition of anonymity.
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