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3 Americans Kidnapped in Baghdad Are Released 3 Americans Kidnapped in Baghdad Are Released
(about 4 hours later)
BAGHDAD — The State Department confirmed that three Americans kidnapped from a Baghdad apartment last month were released on Tuesday to officials at the American Embassy. BAGHDAD — Three Americans who were kidnapped by Shiite militiamen from a Baghdad apartment last month were released unharmed on Tuesday after the Iraqi authorities negotiated their freedom, State Department officials confirmed. After showers, medical check-ups and a meal at the American Embassy, they were quickly put on a plane out of the country.
Little information about the circumstances of their abduction or the details of the handover by the Iraqi authorities was available. The exact circumstances of their release were not immediately clear, including whether any money was paid or prisoners released in exchange. Officials stressed that there had been no direct negotiations between the United States and the group that abducted the men.
The State Department issued a statement saying, in part: “The Department of State welcomes the news that the government of Iraq has secured the release of three U.S. citizens who were reported as missing in January. We sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the government of Iraq, and its whole-of-government effort to bring about the safe release of these individuals.” Throughout their captivity, American officials leaned on the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and the Iraqi military, which in turn leaned on Moktada al-Sadr, the prominent Shiite cleric whose militia once fought against the Americans, officials said. The abductors were not believed to be under Mr. Sadr’s control, but the cleric was able to use his contacts to mediate and win their release.
On Tuesday, an Iraqi intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Americans had been taken by a Shiite militia and were turned over to Iraqi intelligence officers after negotiations. The State Department issued a statement on Tuesday saying it welcomed the news. “We sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the government of Iraq, and its whole-of-government effort to bring about the safe release of these individuals,” the statement said.
As Iraq’s security deteriorated in recent years, with the extremists of the Islamic State seizing territories in the north and west, Baghdad has seen a rise in abductions, which officials have blamed on Shiite militias that rose to defend the capital. Many of these groups are backed by Iran and operate largely beyond the control of the central government. As Iraq’s security has deteriorated in recent years, with the extremists of the Islamic State seizing territories in the north and west, there has been a rise in abductions in Baghdad. Officials have said the Shiite militias that rose to defend the capital were to blame. Many of these groups are backed by Iran and operate largely beyond the control of the central government.
The abductions of the three Americans coincided roughly with the timing of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Iran, which included the release of The Washington Post’s Tehran bureau chief, Jason Rezaian. The three Americans were abducted around the time of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Iran, which included the release of Jason Rezaian, the Tehran bureau chief of The Washington Post.
There has been no clear evidence to suggest that Iran was involved, but Secretary of State John Kerry raised the issue with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. The manner of the Americans’ release and how they were taken — which officials said was opportunistic after they visited an apartment in Baghdad for a party, in a neighborhood where militias were prevalent — indicated local motives, and not Iranian involvement. There has been no clear evidence to suggest that Iran was involved in the seizure of the three men. Even so, Secretary of State John Kerry raised the matter with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister.
The three Americans were said to work as contractors for the United States military at Baghdad’s airport, and had been taken from an apartment in Dora, a sprawling neighborhood in southern Baghdad. Officials said that the three had left their accommodations at the airport in violation of protocol, and that at least two of them were dual nationals, one an Iraqi-American and another an Egyptian-American. The way the Americans were released and the way they were taken — opportunistically, officials said, after they attended a party in a Baghdad neighborhood where militias are prevalent — indicated local motives rather than direct Iranian involvement. Still, American officials believe the kidnappers were affiliated with a militia supported by Iran, even if the abductions were not planned by Tehran.
Officials believe that Shiite militias with ties to Iran have been behind two recent major kidnapping operations in Iraq. The first was in September when masked gunmen kidnapped 17 Turkish construction workers and their Iraqi translator from a construction site in the Shiite slum of Sadr City. The three Americans were said to be contractors working for the United States military at the Baghdad airport. They had attended a party at the apartment of their interpreter in Dora, a sprawling neighborhood in southern Baghdad; officials said they had been to the apartment several times before.
All were released, unharmed, weeks later. A senior Iraqi official said the Turks were exchanged for prisoners — presumably Shiite fighters backing the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria — held by Sunni rebel groups in Syria. The three men violated protocol when they left their accommodations at the airport, where they were involved in the American effort to train Iraq’s counterterrorism forces to fight the Islamic State, officials said, adding that at least two of them were dual nationals, one an Iraqi-American and the other an Egyptian-American.
In December, more than two dozen Qataris, including members of the royal family, were kidnapped from the desert in southern Iraq, where they were on safari hunting rare birds. The Qataris are still being held, and Iraqi officials believe the motive is the same as the case with the Turks: to free Shiite prisoners held by Sunni rebel groups in Syria. Shiite militias with ties to Iran have been behind two recent major kidnapping operations in Iraq, officials say. The first was in September, when masked gunmen kidnapped 17 Turkish construction workers and their Iraqi translator from a construction site in the Shiite slum of Sadr City.
All were released unharmed four weeks later. A senior Iraqi official said that the Turks were exchanged for prisoners — presumably Shiite fighters backing the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria — who were held by Sunni rebel groups in Syria.
Then, in December, more than two dozen Qataris, including members of the royal family, were kidnapped from the desert in southern Iraq, where they were on safari hunting rare birds. The Qataris are still being held, and Iraqi officials believe they were taken for the same purpose as the Turks.