Families of two young Italian
women held hostage by Islamist terrorists anxiously awaited word
Friday after the two appeared in a dramatic video breaking five
months of silence on their plight.
The video published on YouTube evidently proved that Greta
Ramelli and Vanessa Marzullo were still alive, encouraging their
families.
However, Italian secret service sources said the prolonged
kidnapping that started when the two women were snatched in the
Syrian city of Aleppo on July 31 was "a very delicate
situation".
The Syrian version of Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, claimed
responsibility for the abduction.
Speaking English with eyes lowered, Ramella was recorded on
the video saying: "We beg our government and its mediators to
bring us back home by Christmas".
"We are in extreme danger and could be killed" she added.
"The government and its mediators are responsible for our
lives," she said as Marzullo, holding a placard with the date
December 17, looked briefly at the camera without speaking.
The two young women were videotaped wearing long dark
tunics that covered their bodies and hair, leaving only their
faces visible.
They seemed thin and their features were drawn and haggard
from their ordeal.
Nevertheless, relatives said they were encouraged by the
video.
"They seem fairly well even if a difficult condition," said
Salvatore Marzullo, father of Vanessa, underscoring that both
families are in constant contact with the Italian Foreign
Ministry and that they hope "to have good news soon".
The group holding the women, Fronte al Nusra, said in a
statement it acted because "Italy supports the raids in Syria
against us".
A third Italian hostage, Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, was
kidnapped at the end of July 2013 and is believed to be held by
Isis at Raqqa.
The video was the first public information on Greta and
Vanessa since September 20 when the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar
denied reports that they were being held by Isis.
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