Japan weighs ransom in Islamic State threat to kill hostages

[arjunadawn]

The US , UK , Aust, & EU should all put in $100 million dollars each then put a tactical force together consisting of some 100,000 troops including tanks, fighter jets, fighter helicopters, ATV, Hummers and various different military hardware, Hercules aircrafts to transport everything.

Then systematically go from country to country and kill and destroy completely every single one of them.

This would cost around $500 mill , but at least if you did this one time and wiped them all out then they are all finished and you wouldn't have these type of kidnappings again or any fighting in these countries.

Iraq - ISIL

Syria - ISIL

Africa - Boka Haram

Afghanistan - Taliban

Pakistan - Whoever

Philippines - Abu Saya group, Islamic liberation front ..

Somalia - Al Quada

That's my proposal and I think it's a good plan ........

Good? Bad? Silly? Smart? Makes no difference; you join the very small group of people who at least have the balls to put a proposal out there. Even I have refused to do that so far and I write on this crap everyday. Good for you.

[Jonmarleesco]

Will the money save them? Or simply fund more outrages? Whether the first is probably, or improbably, the second is emphatically YES. Without funding, the tendrils will wither and die. An impossible position for a leader to be in. But there is no question: paying these cowards will not help to defeat them, but rather to embolden them.

[Don Aleman]

The two men , not unlike mountain climbers and sky divers, went into a dangerous area voluntarily and must suffer the same fate. It would be foolish for Japan to pay any amount for their release as it will only encourage more kidnappings !

[SABloke]

Will the money save them? Or simply fund more outrages? Whether the first is probably, or improbably, the second is emphatically YES. Without funding, the tendrils will wither and die. An impossible position for a leader to be in. But there is no question: paying these cowards will not help to defeat them, but rather to embolden them.

Exactly! The money keeps flowing in. Perhaps cutting off the source of income-and f it-just assasinate the SOB funders-and we won't need to kill innocent people. So West...stop sucking oil dick. Ironically, I've never seen the US pressuring Saudi Arabia to become a democracy. Freedom 'n all...guess it's only for poorer nations.

[mania]

Good? Bad? Silly? Smart? Makes no difference; you join the very small group of people who at least have the balls to put a proposal out there. Even I have refused to do that so far and I write on this crap everyday. Good for you.

heheh it is fine to throw something out if it is even remotely possible.

But really 500 mill wont even buy you the services of Blackwater...now known as Xe Services

& that would be a week or two pay at best....Private contractor prices ain't what they use to be

But if as you say at least have balls to put a proposal out ...ok I say lets find that lamp that we rub

& make a wish for world peace ...or what ever

Some of you folks are quite dramatic no?

On a serious note though...paying any ransom to any group just puts a high priced target on any others of that same

money making race.....so no go on ransoms IMO

Edited January 21, 2015 by mania

[Robby nz]

Make the ransom swap in cash and put the money in several large suitcases with a bomb concealed among the notes, do the swap then push the button.

Or better still arrange for some sort of poison or incendiary to be put on every bank note delivered to them, how about contaminated with a virus, Ebola for instance.

That should sort a few of them out including leaders who would have the money delivered to them.

[bangon04]

I'm very sorry for the two men and their families, but it is VERY important that you don't negotiate with terrorists, and certainly never pay them a single satang.

On this matter anti-ISIS governments have to remain firm, even to the point of preventing any private attempts to save the men by paying.

probably not true... the French have a track record of paying ransoms to terrorists, and probably the Italians too.

[steven100]

Make the ransom swap in cash and put the money in several large suitcases with a bomb concealed among the notes, do the swap then push the button.

Or better still arrange for some sort of poison or incendiary to be put on every bank note delivered to them, how about contaminated with a virus, Ebola for instance.

That should sort a few of them out including leaders who would have the money delivered to them.

you been watching to much TV .... haha

I believe viruses don't last too long outside the body .... like only a few seconds.

And the bomb idea ... well , what happens if he asks the pizza delivery boy to open the suitcase first and check all the money ??

They may end up with the money and still kill the hostages .....

[Morch]

Turns out one of the Japanese blokes is some sort of insurgent anyway.

So there's a 50% saving on the $200m right there.

Not an insurgent, just....strange?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-japanese-hostages-who-are-kenji-goto-and-haruna-yukawa-9989946.html

http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/inside-the-strange-world-of-japanese-isis-hostage-haruna-yukawa/story-fnh81ifq-1227192348340

http://www.newsweek.com/homeless-japan-hostage-syria-how-haruna-yukawa-ended-warzone-267024

[MJP]

Turns out one of the Japanese blokes is some sort of insurgent anyway.

So there's a 50% saving on the $200m right there.

Not an insurgent, just....strange?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-japanese-hostages-who-are-kenji-goto-and-haruna-yukawa-9989946.html

http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/inside-the-strange-world-of-japanese-isis-hostage-haruna-yukawa/story-fnh81ifq-1227192348340

http://www.newsweek.com/homeless-japan-hostage-syria-how-haruna-yukawa-ended-warzone-267024

Seems a chap who lost everything and then lost the plot . . .

Changes in Yukawa's life in suburban Tokyo had been fast and disorienting. Over the past decade, he had lost his wife to lung cancer, lost a business and his house to bankruptcy and been forced to live in a public park for almost a month, according to Yukawa's father and an online journal he maintained.

Edited January 21, 2015 by MJP

[Lissos]

Not an insurgent, just....strange?

I heard (on the web) about the capture of Yukawa quite some time ago, and there was a release soon after by some jihadist mouthpiece or other that they'd executed the japanese 'agent' (or whatever it was they referred to him as), so it was a surprise to see him pop up again. Upon his capture I did a bit of brief web research on him and yeah he's odd. It seems he went there to get the nescessary 'cred' for setting up some kind of private military company, which as someone rightly pointed out on the web, appeared at the time of his capture to still comprise of the grand total of.....well,.himself.

It was even worse when a web search of his name at the time of his capture instantly brought up footage (that he'd uploaded) on YouTube of him loitering with other militias in Syria, firing weaponry and decked out in tactical gear. Based on those videos alone, I already thought the man was a dead man walking once he was captured. It looks like he was seeking fame and fortune, and didn't appear to be actually trained in what he was trying to do there. He's got the fame alright, but not the kind he intended. I feel sorry that I don't think he's going to make it out of this one, but to have uploaded such sensitive footage of himself to something so publically viewable by absolutely anyone, was foolish in the extreme if going into Syria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9-aChHGxPE

[MJP]

^^We're not sure it's "himself". Reading the Newsweek report this poor guy removed "himself" with a kitchen knife some time ago.

[NeverSure]

Ah, give them the money and a few cold cases of beer.

Wait until the hostages are back to nuke them.

[NeverSure]

Japan hasn't really been much of a bother to the Islamic world.

Neither has Thailand, but Thailand has lost more people to terrorists than even the US in the last 15 years including 9/11.

The apologists will always blame the victims, and especially anyone who fights back.

This is going to be a long and bloody war and it does no good to be in denial. These people plan to conquer the world for Islam and they don't care how they do it.

This group holding the hostages has to die.

[Fatty123]

A few on here may be misinformed, so I'm not gonna go nuts. One of these Japanese dudes is a guy whose wife died of cancer and whose business went bankrupt. He has a history of suicide attempts and self mutilation and wanted to change sex. Basically,it seems he's just a guy with real mental illness issues (possibly due to stress/bereavement). He should be receiving some sort of care for this, but is waltzing around the most dangerous place on earth. He has my sympathy. It also appears the journalist and the troubled guy knew each other. The journalist was concerned about his friend and was trying to find a way to resuce him. Crazy maybe, but some would say heroic.

The other dude is a journalist. Some may say it comes with the territory (true) , but the folks out there reporting on ISIS are making everyone aware of what it going on out there. Brave as hell in my book and these types of reporters are incredibly important to us all in provideing this information. You don't see many western politicians reporting back from the front line, do you? The info governments rely on comes from their own sources (soldiers/spies/drones) on the ground and journalists (particularly interviews with ISIS members and footage of battles/movements).

So please...less of the 'only themselves to blame'. Perhaps the aid workers/aid doctors are also 'asking for it'? Again, very, very brave people in my book. If you were an innocent resident caught up in this, you would be incredibly grateful to have these folks around. Armies/governments are also happy to have journos (an extra set of eyes and ears) and aid workers (takes the pressure of the military in the battle for 'hearts and minds'.)

Edited January 21, 2015 by Fatty123

[MJP]

A few on here may be misinformed, so I'm not gonna go nuts. One of these Japanese dudes is a guy whose wife died of cancer and whose business went bankrupt. He has a history of suicide attempts and self mutilation. Basically,it seems he's just a guy with real mental illness issues (possibly due to stress/bereavement). He should be receiving some sort of care for this, but is waltzing around the most dangerous place on earth. He has my sympathy.

The other dude is a journalist. Some may say it comes with the territory (true) , but the folks out there reporting on ISIS are making everyone aware of what it going on out there. Brave as hell in my book and these types of reporters are incredibly important to us all in provideing this information. You don't see many western politicians reporting back from the front line, do you? The info governments rely on comes from their own sources (soldiers/spies) on the ground and journalists (particularly interviews with ISIS members and footage of battles/movements).

So please...less of the 'only themselves to blame'. Perhaps the aid workers/aid doctors are also 'asking for it'? Again, very, very brave people in my book. If you were an innocent resident caught up in this, you would be incredibly grateful to have these folks around. Armies/governments are also happy to have journos (an extra set of eyes and ears) and aid workers (takes the pressure of the military in the battle for 'hearts and minds'.)

It's a desperately sad tale. I guess bad luck does actually exist.

[Tongdee]

Why have nuclear weapons if we aren't going to use them?

Turn that whole region into a sheet of glass.

The unfortunate "Collateral Damage" that would cause, massive amounts of radiation everywhere on planet Earth would make the planet unlivable by most forms of life we all love.

Any use of the nuclear option, now that nukes are no longer just possesed by a "couple of itchy fingers" could and likely would result in "M A D". All the mildly Psycho rulers would insist

on enforcing "THEIR VISION" by unleashing their own arsonel.

[daveAustin]

Speaking in English with a British accent

The irony! And there's the thing. The Japanese gov' would be better served delivering some harsh rhetoric to the British gov' for meekly allowing 'their' subjects to be converted... letting the hatred trickle down from a few UK mosques for fear of upsetting EU human rights laws... and also going into Iraq and blasting Muslims of course. But absolutely do not pay a cent!

[daveAustin]

Why have nuclear weapons if we aren't going to use them?

Turn that whole region into a sheet of glass.

The unfortunate "Collateral Damage" that would cause, massive amounts of radiation everywhere on planet Earth would make the planet unlivable by most forms of life we all love.

Nah, it wouldn't, it would render the immediate area u/s for a time (Hiroshima, Chernobyl) but everywhere else would be ok. But stupid idea, of course. The Islamic problem is not just IS, it's potentially everywhere and the surest way to have it kick off everywhere is to do the above.

[arjunadawn]

Good? Bad? Silly? Smart? Makes no difference; you join the very small group of people who at least have the balls to put a proposal out there. Even I have refused to do that so far and I write on this crap everyday. Good for you.

heheh it is fine to throw something out if it is even remotely possible.

But really 500 mill wont even buy you the services of Blackwater...now known as Xe Services

& that would be a week or two pay at best....Private contractor prices ain't what they use to be

But if as you say at least have balls to put a proposal out ...ok I say lets find that lamp that we rub

& make a wish for world peace ...or what ever

Some of you folks are quite dramatic no?

On a serious note though...paying any ransom to any group just puts a high priced target on any others of that same

money making race.....so no go on ransoms IMO

The amount of money it takes is not the point. Very few people actually offer realistic or even semi realistic options.

BTW, was having balls and rubbing lamps the best imagery at coffee time?

[SiSePuede419]

Never pay lansom!

[OZEMADE]

Clock ticking for Japanese IS hostages

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/26056119/race-against-time-to-save-is-hostages-japan-pm/