Muslim leader in Iraq mercy dash
(CNN) -- An Australian Muslim leader is heading for Iraq in a bid to help secure the freedom of an Australian hostage, as a deadline set by his captors draws near.
The mercy mission by Sheik Taj Din al-Hilaly comes just two days after the militants set a 72-hour deadline for the Australian government to begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq.
Sheik al-Hilaly has already appealed with the hostage-takers to free 63-year old Wood in a video which has been broadcast on Arab satellite television network Al-Jazeera.
Al-Hilaly is imam of the Lakemba mosque in Sydney, one of the nation's largest Muslim congregations. He leaves for Iraq on Monday, Australian time.
Wood's two brothers also made a second appeal to the kidnappers takers on Arab television over the weekend after the hostages released a second video of the contract worker pleading for his life.
The Australian government has a high level negotiation team in Iraq to try to free Wood, but maintains it will not give into the demands or pay a ransom to secure his release.
His captors are identified as the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq, a group that has claimed responsibility for other kidnappings in the past year
A second, disturbing, video of Wood was released on Friday. Like the first video it showed him sitting on the floor surrounded by masked militants holding assault rifles to his head.
But, this time his head was shaven and his face beaten. After again pleading for his life, Woods head slumped into his chest.
In another effort to try to persuade the hostages to free Wood, his family has released an email sent by Wood to one of his daughters in July last year, according to The Australian newspaper.
His family hopes the email will show Wood as "an affectionate family man with a genuine interest in Iraq, working there on projects for the benefit of the Iraqi people", the paper said.
In the email, Wood talks of his love for his children, his poor health, the lush Tigris valley and how he hoped the transfer of power to an Iraqi interim government would improve life in Baghdad. In the email he describes the U.S. forces as an "occupying force."
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer rang Wood's California-based wife on the weekend to assure her the Australian Government would not give up and was doing everything it could to secure her husband's release.
However Defense Minister Robert Hill conceded that the situation did not look good.
Violence in Iraq has worsened, with about 300 people killed in terrorist attacks since the Iraqi transitional government was sworn in last week.
Hostages are now being taken on an almost daily basis, including six Jordanian contract workers kidnapped on sunday.
Australia sent about 2000 troops to take part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq but reduced that contingent to about 950 after the ousting of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
However it announced plans in February to send another 450 troops to help train Iraqi security forces and guard a Japanese engineering contingent working on reconstruction projects.
Howard's decision to take part in the war was not popular, but voters returned his center-right coalition to power in September, and rejected an opposition candidate who had promised to withdraw if elected.
