Iraq - the third world country

The BBC is reporting that Italian authorities made a deal with insurgents to release aid workers. According to the report, the Italian Red Cross treated four wounded for the release of the two women.

I'm not surprised that a deal was made for their release. I'm sure there's some covert goings on with special forces and CIA agents to offer services for what they need to fight their war on terrorists. The most telling thing is that it wasn't money that the terrorists were looking for. Neither was it weapons they wanted. Simple medical aid.

Okay, I'm assuming that the Italian authorities would not have agreed to money or weapons in exchange for the two women. But the lack of medical supplies can become a problem for any side fighthing a war.

The sad part is that the BBC also reported that the lack of minimal medical supplies is not limited to the insurgent side. A few weeks ago, they also reported that the local hospitals that must treat the wounded from roadside bombs are also in dire straights. There was no mention what (if anything) the United States will do to help the civilians caught in the middle.

Because of the AIDS crisis, it seems as if more medical supplies are arriving in African countries than Iraq. It's very sad.