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June 5, 2007

Terrorists claim to have killed captured Lawrence soldier, comrade

Yadira Betances

It was the first news on missing Lawrence soldier Alex Jimenez in more than three weeks, and it was news no one wanted to hear.

Al-Qaida militants released a videotape claiming Jimenez and his fellow missing soldier are dead and buried in Iraq. The video shows the two soldiers' identification tags, credit cards, money and other "booty" the insurgents claim they confiscated.

A voice on the video blames their deaths on "the American Army and their leaders, who do not care for the feelings of the soldiers' mothers."

"And as you refused to deliver the bodies of our killed people, we will not deliver the bodies of your dead, and their end will be beneath the ground, Allah willing," the voice said.

What the video doesn't show is Jimenez or the other missing soldier, Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich. The 10-minute, 41-second clip offers no proof that the soldiers are actually dead, and the U.S. military has promised the search will go on until Jimenez and Fouty are found.

"We continue to search and hope that our two missing soldiers will be found alive and in good health," said Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, the chief military spokesman in Baghdad.

For Jimenez's family, it was a day of agony. His mother, Maria del Rosario Duran, said from her home in Queens, N.Y., she still believes her son will come home safely. Without proof, there is no reason to believe differently, she said.

She takes her faith from family members and fellow church members. A church group was scheduled to go to her home last night for prayers.

"I could just lay in bed all day and cry if it wasn't for them who give me strength," Duran said.

The video

The militant leader and his aides were clad in black from head to toe as they were shown standing in a forest. He pointed to a sketch on an easel. The sketch was of a road.

"I have urged you to bring me American prisoners," the leader said to about five other masked militants, who were sitting on the ground.

Minutes later, the Internet video showed choppy black-and-white footage of what the militants said was the May 12 ambush south of Baghdad that left four U.S. troops dead and three others captured, including Jimenez and Fouty.

The body of the third soldier captured, Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif., was discovered in the Euphrates River on May 23 | 11 days after the attack.

The video was put out by The Islamic State of Iraq, a front group for al-Qaida in Iraq. Experts said it was likely intended as a show of strength by al-Qaida-linked militants, who find themselves increasingly engaged in violent battles against more moderate Sunni insurgents in Iraq.

Jon Alterman, the Middle East program director for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the insurgents could have many other reasons for releasing the video.

"It could be an effort to stop U.S. efforts to find them. It could be an effort to lighten up the pressure. It could be an effort to sow confusion," he said. "It certainly doesn't seem like anything definitive."

Friends, family wait

The soldier's friends and family said they won't believe Jimenez is dead unless they are given irrefutable proof.

"Not everything is credible," Lawrence Veterans Affairs Director Francisco Urena said. "Until anything else shows up, let's continue to keep hope."

Jimenez's father, Ramon "Andy" Jimenez of Lawrence, is also in Queens waiting with Alex Jimenez's mother on news of their son. He was shown the videotape yesterday morning, and his Lawrence neighbor Wendy Luzon said he is holding out hope.

"We're hoping for good news," Luzon said. "Andy wants people to keep praying. We will do that, then."

Ramon "Andy" Jimenez has not been home since his son disappeared. He has split his time between Duran's home and Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y., the base from which Alex Jimenez was deployed.

Ramon "Andy" Jimenez is expected to return to the city Saturday for a 6 p.m. Mass for his son at Sts. Peter and Paul Evangelization Center at the corner of Lawrence and Chestnut streets. The Mass will continue with a procession to St. Mary of the Assumption Church at 300 Haverhill St. An all-night vigil will continue there.

"We have to pray to maintain the faith alive," the Rev. Jorge Reyes, pastor at St. Mary's, said. "We cannot lose hope. We ask God for strength for the family. It must be a torture for them. We want to show them we all suffer when someone from our church is suffering."

Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan stressed that the "whole city ... the whole world," is praying for Alex and his family.

"We still have a lot of hope he'll come back safe," Sullivan said last night.

The father of four children himself, Sullivan said he can't imagine the horror Jimenez's parents are suffering.

"When something like this hits your city or town, it makes the war so real. ... It brings home that this could be any of our children, our sons or daughters," Sullivan said.

State Rep. William Lantigua, D-Lawrence, said he has received many calls from residents "wanting to know if I knew more than was on the news." Lantigua, who has been in contact with family members, said he doesn't know anything else though.

"It's so difficult, but we are still hopeful even though they say the soldiers were killed. There's no evidence of that. There are indications he could be OK," Lantigua said.

"The whole community is hoping and praying for the best," he said.

The Associated Press and staff writers Zach Church and Jill Harmacinski contributed to this report.

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