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Reports: 3 Americans missing in Baghdad Iraqi official: 3 Americans missing in Baghdad kidnapped by gunmen
(35 minutes later)
BAGHDAD — U.S. and Iraqi authorities are searching for three Americans reported missing from a neighborhood in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, officials have said. At least one report said gunmen had kidnapped the Americans, but it could not immediately be confirmed. BAGHDAD — Three Americans reported missing from a Baghdad neighborhood were kidnapped on Saturday after visiting the home of their Iraqi interpreter, a senior Iraqi police official said on Monday.
The Baghdad police colonel, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said that the Americans are employed as contractors at the Baghdad International Airport. He did not say which company employed the individuals.
Based on an initial investigation of the abduction, the Americans appear to have been seized by Shiite militiamen after their local Iraqi interpreter invited them to his home in the Dora neighborhood in southern Baghdad, the lieutenant colonel said. The area from which they were taken is controlled by Shiite militias, including the Iran-backed Asai'b Ahl al-Haqq, or League of the Righteous, he said.
Dora was a dangerous Sunni insurgent hub, and site of some of the worst sectarian cleansing in the capital in 2006-07. Some areas of Dora are now ruled by militias, residents and officials said.
“We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq,” John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said on Sunday. “The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority. We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals. Due to privacy considerations, I have nothing further.”“We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq,” John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said on Sunday. “The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority. We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals. Due to privacy considerations, I have nothing further.”
Abductions for ransom or political reasons were widely practiced by militants and criminal gangs in Baghdad following the U.S. invasion here in 2003. But the rate of high-profile kidnappings had dropped off in recent years.Abductions for ransom or political reasons were widely practiced by militants and criminal gangs in Baghdad following the U.S. invasion here in 2003. But the rate of high-profile kidnappings had dropped off in recent years.
A senior Iraqi security official told CNN that the Americans, apparently contractors, had gone missing two days ago, along with their Iraqi interpreter. A spokesman for Baghdad’s Joint Operations Command said Sunday that the three missing persons were Iraqis who had become U.S. citizens. That information also could not be confirmed. A senior Iraqi security official also told CNN that the Americans had gone missing two days ago, along with their Iraqi interpreter. A spokesman for Baghdad’s Joint Operations Command said Sunday that the three missing persons were Iraqis who had become U.S. citizens. That information also could not be confirmed. Some local media reports, quoting unnamed security officials, said the individuals were taken from Baghdad’s Dora neighborhood on their way to the international airport.
Some local media reports, quoting unnamed security officials, said the individuals were taken from Baghdad’s Dora neighborhood on their way to the international airport. Others claimed the group was seized from an apartment in the same area. Dora was a dangerous Sunni insurgent hub, and site of some of the worst sectarian cleansing in the capital in 2006-07.
Other reports on Sunday said assailants donning uniforms seized the group from an apartment in the same neighborhood. A report from the pan-Arab satellite channel al-Arabiya said “militias” had abducted the group in the area of Dora in the city’s south.
[Plane with freed Americans leaves Iran; U.S. imposes new sanctions ][Plane with freed Americans leaves Iran; U.S. imposes new sanctions ]
Both Sunni and Shiite militants are present in the Iraqi capital, but Shiite militias operate as powerful auxiliary forces, and the Islamic State does not have a major presence here.Both Sunni and Shiite militants are present in the Iraqi capital, but Shiite militias operate as powerful auxiliary forces, and the Islamic State does not have a major presence here.
The Islamic State has abducted Westerners, including U.S. citizens, in Syria, where it also commands wide swaths of territory. The jihadists beheaded two Americans, James Foley and Steven Sotloff. A third American, aid worker Kayla Mueller, was also killed in what the Islamic State said was a coalition airstrike on one of their compounds in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
Many of Iraq’s Shiite militias are backed by Iran. Some analysts who closely follow Iran and its regional proxies suggested Sunday that the abduction of American citizens in Baghdad, if true, may have been a projection of Iranian power, in particular by hard-liners who opposed the prisoner deal with the United States over the weekend.Many of Iraq’s Shiite militias are backed by Iran. Some analysts who closely follow Iran and its regional proxies suggested Sunday that the abduction of American citizens in Baghdad, if true, may have been a projection of Iranian power, in particular by hard-liners who opposed the prisoner deal with the United States over the weekend.
Iran released four Iranian Americans with dual citizenship who were being held in Iranian prisons; the United States offered clemency to seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations. American authorities also dismissed charges against 14 Iranians outside the United States.Iran released four Iranian Americans with dual citizenship who were being held in Iranian prisons; the United States offered clemency to seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations. American authorities also dismissed charges against 14 Iranians outside the United States.
Phillip Smyth, a researcher at the University of Maryland who is an expert on Shiite armed groups, posted an online link to an analysis of Iranian proxy forces he wrote about a year ago. In that paper, for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Smyth wrote that armed groups loyal to Iran could soon change their focus from fighting jihadists such as the Islamic State to “possibly disrupting U.S. or regional allies’ interests in the Middle East and globally.”Phillip Smyth, a researcher at the University of Maryland who is an expert on Shiite armed groups, posted an online link to an analysis of Iranian proxy forces he wrote about a year ago. In that paper, for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Smyth wrote that armed groups loyal to Iran could soon change their focus from fighting jihadists such as the Islamic State to “possibly disrupting U.S. or regional allies’ interests in the Middle East and globally.”
The Islamic State has also abducted Westerners, including U.S. citizens, in Syria, where it also commands wide swaths of territory. The jihadists beheaded two Americans, James Foley and Steven Sotloff. A third American, aid worker Kayla Mueller, was also killed in what the Islamic State said was a coalition airstrike on one of their compounds in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
Mustafa Salim contributed reporting.Mustafa Salim contributed reporting.