Dr. Rusty’s Pet Jawa notes that the Italian Red Cross has decided to get into the business of hostage negotiation as well as aiding and abetting terrorist insurgents in Iraq. As he observes, “after you treat the wounded terrorist you’re supposed to turn them in”.

Indeed you are, unless, for instance, you don’t think they’re terrorists at all. Maurizio Scelli, the outgoing Italian Red Cross chief, explained that, after brilliantly negotiating with the kidnappers of aid workers Simona Pari and Simona Torretta:

“The mediators asked us to save the lives of four alleged terrorists wanted by the Americans who were wounded in combat,” Scelli was quoted as saying. “We hid them and brought them to Red Cross doctors, who operated on them.”

So how are they “alleged” terrorists? If they were wounded in combat, who were they fighting against? The U.S. military, which is allied with Iraqi security forces. Were the wounds “alleged”? Perhaps the Red Cross doctors performed “alleged” operations on the “alleged” wounds received while in “alleged” combat against “alleged” U.S. forces and/or Iraqi security forces? I think the term for the evidence that these slime were hostiles here is prima facie.

But perhaps they’re “freedom fighters”? Someone explain to me, then, what exactly we need the Italian Red Cross in the country for, if they’re going to pull stunt like this? Put them on the first flight home (or better yet, let them walk through “freedom fighter” territory).

Update: As usual, Cox and Forkum are brilliant on this.