Kidnapping of Americans Linked to al-Sadr

ABC News ^ | November 17 2006 | LUIS MARTINEZ

[jmc1969]

A senior Defense Department official told ABC News that Shiite militiamen tied to anti-American cleric Moqtada al Sadr were behind the abduction of four American security contractors and an Austrian co-worker seized in a brazen attack on a supply convoy near the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

The search for the missing contractors resulted in a raid by coalition forces earlier today near the Kuwait border that resulted in the deaths of two Iraqi gunmen, but no hostages were found.

Throughout the day, statements from Iraqi officials — later discounted — led to reports that some of the hostages had been released or found dead. However, their employer, Crescent Security Group, said there had been no claim of responsibility, no demand for ransom and no communication of any kind from the hijackers.

Despite the confusion, new details emerged about the incident Thursday that took place 20 kilometers north of the Iraqi city of Safwan, located near the border with Kuwait.

A senior defense official said it was believed that the gunmen who ambushed the convoy were wearing newly issued Iraqi police uniforms that are supposed to be tightly controlled, hard to duplicate and were issued only last month.

Only a month ago, the coalition began distributing the digitally altered blue camouflage uniforms to National Police Brigades. The uniforms are also tied to the mass kidnapping earlier this week in Baghdad at the Education Ministry.

[sageb1]

hah! lol

[Gideon Reader]

Seems to me that it's overtime that the fat bastard should be culled and soon. I do not see the great impediment to that task.
Notwithstanding his Western media support as a "Saintly and religious figure" and the other raging nutcases bonking their heads and slapping their hearts, he is eminently do-able.
One man, one gun, one vote. Or maybe a Hellfire remodel of his residence.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

You do believe in democracy, don't you?

Following that logic, Saddam must be restored to power. He garnered over 99% of the popular vote at every election. Mookie's own people fragged him back when we were stacking them in the cemetery. Then he went and hid in a mosque. I am not saying that Coalition forces should kill him or arrest him today. This is an Iraqi problem, with an Iraqi solution. Yet Iran sees this as an extension of the Iran-Iraq war. They will happily drag OUR troops through these events for 20 years. Do you really want that kind of "open ended" commitment?