Female Iraqi prisoners will not be freed

WITH time running out for British hostage Kenneth Bigley, US and Iraqi officials said last night they would not free female Iraqi prisoners as demanded by an al-Qaida ally whose group has already beheaded two Americans.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said his government had begun reviewing the status of its detainees, including the two female scientists known as ‘Dr Germ’ and ‘Mrs Anthrax’ for their involvement in Saddam Hussein’s biological weapons programs.

But Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said his government would not cave in to the demands of the captors.

Attention has focused on two of Saddam Hussein’s weapons scientists who are the only women that Washington says it is holding in Iraq - although it is unclear whether the Tawhid and Jihad group’s demand for all women to be freed refers to them.

“There are no immediate plans to release them,” Mr Zebari told BBC television yesterday.

“As far as I can tell really there are no immediate plans to release Rihab Taha. She is a highly valued prisoner.

“She was one of the experts in biological manufacturing.”

A US embassy spokesman said Taha and Huda Ammash, dubbed ‘Dr Germ’ and ’Mrs Anthrax’ respectively by US forces, were in the legal and physical custody of the multinational forces in Iraq ‘and neither will be released imminently’.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: “We cannot get into a situation, and I believe the family understand this, where we start bargaining with terrorists and kidnappers.”