Death came close for Filipino hostage Mr Angelo de la Cruz, who says Iraqi insurgents at one point sharpened a sword and probed his neck for the right spot to cut.
But his fate changed dramatically when his captors learned that Filipino troops would withdraw from Iraq to meet their demand and the kidnappers let him go, according to statements the 46-year-old truck driver gave to Philippine officials after he was freed in Baghdad.
Mr de la Cruz has publicly said he was treated well during his terror-filled two-week captivity.
"They did not harm me and I'm relieved that I survived. I really thought my time had come," Mr de la Cruz told a Filipino reporter in Manila.
Angelo de la Cruz
Mr de la Cruz's nightmare began on July 4th when Iraqi insurgents attacked the convoy of fuel trucks he was travelling in after it had crossed into Iraq from Saudi Arabia. The insurgents slapped him when he tried to resist. His Iraqi guard was shot dead, but 10 other Filipino drivers were rescued.
Mr De la Cruz, constantly guarded by six young insurgents clutching AK-47s and grenade launchers, was bound and stashed in the boot of a car while being moved to at least four houses. From one, Mr de la Cruz heard frequent rumbling from tanks and the drone of fighter jets overheard, an official said.
He did not see other captives, but was once detained in a room with dried bloodstains on the floor. Mr De la Cruz once thought of escaping but changed his mind after realising he would just be lost.
"He had many sleepless nights," an official said. "He was always preoccupied with his potential execution and wondered if that would be done with the use of a sword or a gun. He hoped it would be the latter because it seemed much less painful."
In one of the most critical moments, a kidnapper embraced him, saying: "I love you, I love you but I have to do this," the official said.
His abductors sharpened a sword in front of him and examined his neck, apparently looking for the right place to cut.
His captors, identified as the Iraqi Islamic Army-Khaled bin Al-Waleed Corps, had threatened to behead de la Cruz unless a tiny Philippine peacekeeping contingent was recalled from Iraq by the end of July - a month ahead of schedule.
At one point, the insurgents told him he had been brought to the place where he would be killed.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo initially hesitated. But on July 13th, Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis went on television to announce the pullout. When the insurgents saw the government was serious, they cheered and told Mr de la Cruz: "Allah wants you to live", then embraced him, according to the official.
On Monday, they monitored news reports on the last Filipino troops crossing the border from Iraq into Kuwait and told dela Cruz he would be freed. He was even given fare money and told that he would be dropped off somewhere in Baghdad.
"We'll still see you on TV but you'll never see us again," the insurgents told Mr de la Cruz, according to the official.
AP