US journalists feared kidnapped in Iraq
Two US television journalists have gone missing in the Iraqi city of Basra and are feared to have been kidnapped, it was reported today.
CBS News said all efforts were under way to find the journalists. It did not name the pair and requested “that others do not speculate on the identities of those involved” until more information was available.
“CBS News has been in touch with the families and asks that their privacy be respected,” the network added in a brief statement.
Iraqi police and witnesses said the kidnapping occurred yesterday morning when about eight masked gunmen wielding machine guns stormed the three-storey Sultan Palace Hotel.
Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, has seen fierce fighting between rival Shiite militias, evidence of a violent power struggle in the oil-rich south.
The British military, which turned over responsibility for the province to the Iraqis in December but maintains forces near the city, said it could not comment on the report.
