American Reporter Jim Carroll Released in Iraq

JILL CARROLL, Recently Freed American Reporter:

All I can say right now is that I'm just happy to be free.

JEFFREY BROWN:

American reporter Jill Carroll spoke today in Baghdad after she was released from nearly three months in captivity.

JILL CARROLL:

I was kidnapped January 7th. I don't know why. Really, I don't know why. That's a question for the Mujahedeen.

JEFFREY BROWN:

The 28-year-old was dropped off by her captors this morning near the headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party. American officials were called, and later Carroll described her hostage experience to an Iraqi reporter.

JILL CARROLL:

I felt I was not free. It was difficult, because I didn't know what would happen to me. I was kept in a very good, small, safe place, a safe room, nice furniture. They gave me clothing, plenty of food. I was allowed to take showers, go to the bathroom when I wanted. Very good — never hit me. Never even threatened to hit me.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Carroll's family got the good news early this morning at their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

JIM CARROLL, Father of American Journalist Jill Carroll: Good morning. I'm Jim Carroll, the proud father of Jill Carroll. Obviously, the question, "How do you feel?" is excellent.

We've had an arduous three months. It's been very, very difficult on the family and all of the friends and, obviously, all of the people around the world. The media coverage for Jill has been amazing. We couldn't believe it, and we certainly appreciate that.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Carroll, who speaks some Arabic, was in Iraq as a freelance reporter on assignment for the Christian Science Monitor, when she was kidnapped in a dangerous neighborhood of Baghdad while trying to interview a prominent Sunni politician.

She was traveling without security in an unarmored car and was stopped by men brandishing weapons. Her driver, who survived the attack, was pulled from the vehicle.

The assailants then drove off with Carroll and her interpreter, Allan Enwiya. He was later found dead from gunshots.

A previously unknown group calling itself Revenge Brigades claimed responsibility and threatened in videotapes to kill Carroll unless all women being held by U.S. and Iraqi forces were released.

Today, President Bush had this to say.

GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: I'm just really grateful she was released, and I want to thank those who worked hard to release her. And we're glad she's alive.

JEFFREY BROWN:

According to a Pentagon spokesman, Carroll's release did not involve the U.S. military.

And we get more on Jill Carroll's release from David Cook, Washington bureau chief for the Christian Science Monitor, and in Baghdad Nic Robertson, senior international correspondent for CNN.

Welcome to both of you.

DAVID COOK, Christian Science Monitor:

Thanks.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Nic Robertson, starting with you, what is known so far about why Jim Carroll was released today?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN:

Jill, in fact, really doesn't have a good idea. She really only discovered this morning that she was going to be released.

She walked into the offices of the Iraqi Islamic Party. They quickly called their senior politician, Tariq al-Hashemi. He came and picked up Jill. Perhaps they know something, but if they do they really haven't made it public yet.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Now, David Cook, the Monitor's editor, Richard Bergenheim, said today there was absolutely no negotiations for her release. What do you know so far about why she was released?

DAVID COOK:

Not much more than Nic. Yesterday, I was with her sister, Katie, producing a little taped piece where we were pleading for people to get in touch with us about, you know, who we might contact to work on her release. So we had no idea that this was coming. And, as Richard said, we paid no money and neither did the U.S. government.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Now, Mr. Bergenheim also said today, quote, "Few will ever know how many people have been working day and night for this result." Tell us what you can about what was going on behind the scenes.

DAVID COOK:

Well, we were working with our journalistic colleagues in Baghdad. We got a lot of help from the press corps there. We worked with the United States government, as you might expect. We worked with the various academic experts trying to learn everything we could about, you know, how could we influence the situation, try and bring about her release. And then, of course, the entire Monitor staff was focused on this.

JEFFREY BROWN:

And what you can tell us, Nic Robertson, from what was happening over there? There were a number of Iraqi politicians speaking out on her behalf. Tell us about the campaign as it looked from there.

NIC ROBERTSON:

It's been quite a public campaign on the part of some politicians. And I think what we found interesting here when we've talked to people on the streets, throughout the whole period, the 83 days where Jill was held, people here have been very supportive of her.

The campaign to make people aware of who Jill was, that she was a journalist, and what she was doing, telling the Iraqi people's story, really seems to have been understood by the people of Baghdad that we talked to.

They've all, to a man and woman, and indeed a woman we talked to today, been very pleased that she was released, wanted to see her released, believed it was important for her family.

So I think the politicians here and everyone who has played a role, it has had a significant impact on the perception here. We don't know yet how that may have been important in Jill's release.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Nic, what is known, if anything, more about her captors and what their goals were?

NIC ROBERTSON:

Their goals, as initially stated, was for all female prisoners being held by the U.S. here, that they should all be released. Very, very little more is known.

I mean, this organization had a nom de guerre that really hadn't been heard before. And perhaps this was really a front to stop people tracking them down, to stop there being any leave to discovering exactly who they were. We don't really know which sort of the bigger insurgency organizations, if indeed they were affiliated to any of those organization, we don't know who they were.

What's becoming apparent in Baghdad these days is a lot more criminal activity focused on some pretty significant and serious kidnappings, kidnappings in broad daylight by people wearing military and police uniforms, going into downtown stores and taking up to a dozen people at a time.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Mr. Cook, was your organization, the Monitor, were you able to get in touch with her captives at any point?

DAVID COOK:

No, the Revenge Brigades that Nic was talking about were very elusive, and we weren't in touch with them. We put out all kinds of feelers, but we were not in negotiation with them.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Was anyone able to get in touch with them, that you know of, the U.S. Government or Iraqi politicians?

DAVID COOK:

Well, Iraqi politicians, including the politician that Jill was going to see, Adnan Dulaimi, made statements. And a variety of politicians there made statements. So maybe there was contact made in that sense, sort of public kind of contact. And there may have been private contact but not contact that we're aware of.

JEFFREY BROWN:

And remind us, the cappers did demand the release of Iraqi women being held. Some women were released early on in this, but U.S. Military said that was unrelated.

DAVID COOK:

They said it was unrelated, and also some women prisoners were still held, so those demands were not fully met.

JEFFREY BROWN:

And, Nic Robertson, was there any more involvement of the U.S. Government or military in this, as far as you know?

NIC ROBERTSON:

As far as we know, nothing at this stage. We know this is being characterized as a release rather than a rescue.

And every indication is, according to the Iraqi Islamic Party, that 14:28, 2:28 in the afternoon, that's when they handed Jill over to U.S. embassy staff. And that really seems to be the point where U.S. Embassy officials actually became involved for the first time.

JEFFREY BROWN:

And Nic, as we've said in our setup, her Iraqi translator, Allan Enwiya, was killed at the time, a reminder that this remains a very dangerous business, especially for the Iraqi journalists there, I guess.

NIC ROBERTSON:

It a dangerous business, and not just for the Iraqi journalists and for others. It's a very dangerous time for many people in Iraq.

I was just talking about the kidnappings that go on of storekeepers, of three bakers, I think, killed early this morning. So it's a very dangerous time for all sorts of people in Iraq at this time, and I think the Christian Science Monitor and others have been at pains to point this out today, as well.

DAVID COOK:

Two Iraqi journalists who are still being held captive as a result of the kidnapping. We agree with Nic that's something we need to pay attention to.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Has anyone at the Monitor, Mr. Cook, been able to talk to Jill Carroll today?

DAVID COOK:

Yes, Scott Peterson, our Baghdad bureau chief, had a conversation with her in the Green Zone. And we're looking forward to bringing her home.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Do you know when that might happen?

DAVID COOK:

Soon. We don't have the logistics nailed down quite yet.

JEFFREY BROWN:

All right, David Cook of the Christian Science Monitor, Nic Robertson of CNN, thank you both very much.