A thank-you from Jill Carroll's family

We cannot begin to properly thank all of the individuals and organizations who made significant efforts to free Jill. We may never be certain which steps actually led to her release. And we can never be aware of all the people who devoted their time and resources - and took risks - to find her. The most significant reward we can offer them is the picture of Jill back in the arms of her family, and the indescribable joy and relief so evident on our faces.

We know that they shared in our joy. We can only hope that the families of the other hostages in Iraq will soon feel the same joy. We also deeply mourn the loss of Jill's friend and interpreter, Allan Enwiya.

We wish to express our gratitude to the many people and organizations whose contributions we were aware of, and acknowledge those that cannot be named, for their own safety, and due to the continuing nature of their important work.

First we thank the staff of The Christian Science Monitor for their efforts in Baghdad and Boston, as well as the security consultants who worked with the newspaper in Iraq.

We also thank (in alphabetical order) Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and all his American Embassy staff in Baghdad; CNN and the many Western and Iraqi media organizations that kept Jill in the public eye, and reinforced her credentials as a journalist; the Committee to Protect Journalists; the government of Iraq; the many Iraqi political parties who called for Jill's release; Mr. Jassim Boodai; the Kingdom of Jordan; the many religious organizations that voiced moral appeals; Reporters Without Borders; Sheikh Sattam Al Gaood; and US military forces in Iraq and Germany.

Jill's friends and family, who have been so supportive, and the millions of people around the world who prayed for Jill's release, should take great comfort in knowing that their prayers - and ours - have been answered.

In gratitude,
Jim, Mary Beth, and Katie Carroll