US embassy investigates reports of Iraq kidnapping
The US Embassy in Baghdad today said it was investigating reports that an American had been kidnapped in southern Iraq.
Police in the city of Basra said a US civilian and two Iraqis were abducted in the northern part of the city, according to Voices of Iraq, an independent news agency.
It quoted the city’s police chief, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Hamadi al-Musawi, as saying they were kidnapped this morning while on their way to Basra from the province of Maysan in a civilian vehicle.
“We’re aware of the reports and are trying to determine the status and welfare of the individual in question,” US Embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said.
Maj. Charlie Burbridge, a spokesman for the British military, said a Western employee of a private security firm had been kidnapped. He declined to comment further.
