Freedom?

Norman Kember has been freed from captivity in Iraq. Thank goodness.
Thanks also must go to the soldiers who risked possible death in the operation to free him and his colleagues. Thanks must also go to whoever it was who tipped off his captors that the operation was coming - because when the soldiers got there all the captors had disappeared. They must have known that the only other way was to fight to the death, probably killing the hostages on the way, and thankfully they chose the path of life and freedom.
Mr Kember is 74. He has seen a lot of life. He went to Iraq, sponsored by a peace organisation, with the admirable intention of trying to secure peace between Christians and Muslims. He must have known that it was a pretty futile exercise. He even recognised the possibility of being taken captive by some terrorist group because he had stated before he went that, in such a scenario, he would not wish a military operation with the risk to the lives of soldiers to be carried out in order to rescue him. Luckily for him the military ignored his request and he was rescued.
The organisation which sponsored the group's visit has since stated that it is considering disbanding because of the risks involved. The whole visit was futile from the start.
Mr Kember is lucky to be alive. Thank goodness he is for the sake of his wife and family. But Mr Kember should never have been there in the first place. Such actions can never do any good. They just create opportunities for others to put their own views in the only way they know how - with violence.