Nepal hostage crisis
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31 August 2004
| Nepal hostage crisis | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Iraq War | |
| Location | Iraq |
| Date | 09:00, 1 August 2004 – 31 August 2004 |
| Target | Twelve Nepalis in Iraq |
Attack type | Hostage-taking |
| Deaths | 12 hostages |
| Perpetrators | Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna |
The Nepal hostage crisis began on 19 August 2004 when an Iraqi Sunni insurgent group, Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna kidnapped and murdered twelve Nepalis.[1]
Moonlight Consultancy Private Limited, company based in Nepal, recruited twelve Nepalis to work in Amman, Jordan as chefs, cleaners and builders for Jordanian businesses.[2][3] On 19 August 2004, they were transported to Iraq by a caravan using the Amman-Baghdad Highway.[4] The same day, they were kidnapped by an Iraqi Sunni insurgent group, Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna.[5] On 20 August, the group released a video of the hostages which showed them begging for their lives and blaming Pralhad Giri of Moonlight Consultants for their abduction; the media was aired by various Nepali channels.[6] On 23 August, the Government of Nepal made a plead via the Al Jazeera television channel, however, Nepali diplomats were unable to contact the kidnappers.[6] The Nepali government also wrote to the Iraqi government, nevertheless, on 31 August at 6 pm, television channels broadcast pictures of the dead bodies of 12 Nepalis.[6]
In a video later posted by the militants to jihadist websites online the hostages are shown being executed, with one beheaded and the rest shot dead.[7]