Doug Harper points out a quote buried in a Knight Ridder wire story on the release of British journalist James Brandon by the Iraqi mujahideen—a frank acknowledgment of the relationship between the holy warriors and their comrades in the world media:

A kidnapped British journalist was released Friday with minor injuries less than 24 hours after gunmen seized him from a hotel in the southern port city of Basra. James Brandon, 23, on assignment for the Sunday Telegraph, was shown in a video on satellite television with kidnappers who threatened to kill him unless U.S. troops withdrew from Najaf, the holiest of southern Shiite cities. Brandon reportedly was released after al-Sadr aides intervened on his behalf.

“Journalists are our brothers, our friends,” said Sheik Salah al Ubaidi, an al-Sadr spokesman in Baghdad. “They reflect our opinions and convey our voices to all of the world.”

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