Jihad Unspun : Stay Of Execution

Vancouver woman said she'd be beheaded today, but Taliban militants holding her give authorities until April 5 to pay ransom.

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — The Islamic militants holding a Canadian hostage in the Afghan-Pakistani border region have extended the deadline for their ransom demands to be met, according to an associate of the Taliban commander thought to be in control of her.

"But there will be no more extension in the deadline," said Qari, a close associate of Taliban commander Gul Bahadur, who asked to be identified by one name only. "They [the Taliban] are serious," he told The Globe and Mail today.

In a video released last month, West Vancouver resident Beverly Giesbrecht, 53, said her captors would behead her if their demands for $350,000 (U.S.) weren't met by the end of March. She was seized at gunpoint in the Bannu region of northern Pakistan in November.

theglobeandmail