Iraq’s defence minister said on Thursday (January 21) the three Americans who went missing in Baghdad last week had been seized by an “organised gang that carries out abductions for blackmail”.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters in Cairo, Khaled al-Obaidi did not elaborate. The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“The three Americans, one is a native, born and raised, one is Algerian and an Iraqi who both hold an American passport. They were taken from a residential area in Dora district. Our findings so far have pointed to an organised gang that had been following them, and who had seen them there several times, took them from the area. But we cannot determine whether these gangs were Shi’ites or Sunnis, however we can determine that they are gangs that carry out kidnappings and blackmailing,” he said. “Yes, yes, they were kidnapped in Baghdad,” Obaidi added.
Iraqi intelligence and U.S. government sources said on Tuesday (January 19) the three were being held by an Iranian-backed Shi’ite militia. They would be the first Americans to be abducted in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011.
The U.S. sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved and did not believe the trio were being held in Iran, which borders Iraq.
Unknown gunmen seized the three on Friday (January 15) from a private residence in the south-eastern Dora district of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say. In Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said however they “just went missing,” and he very much doubted any Iranian involvement.
Obaidi also added that the campaign to recapture Iraq’s northern city of Mosul from Islamic State is underway and likely to begin in the first half of this year.
“I am not trying to be overly specific, however our operations [in Mosul], God willing, will happen within the first half of this year, and their end will, God willing, be swift and fast.”
Obaidi was confident that his brothers in the region were also prepared to co-operate, contrary to remarks made by Kurdistan region’s deputy prime minister, Qubad Talabani, last week.
“Mosul will be a difficult battle, and more complicated than Ramadi. Mosul is Iraq’s second city, and there are more than 2 million people living there now, and this is something we’ve taken into consideration. Our preparations and our allies are all prepared around us, and in the coming days and weeks you will see further mobilisation of troops. Our brothers in the region are aware of the situation and are prepared to co-operate with us in these battles. Our plans are clear, and that is the eradication of terrorism from Mosul.”
On Thursday, France announced that Arab and Kurdish forces will be given additional support to help retake Islamic State’s bastions in Syria and Iraq.
Speaking at an annual gathering of about 200 foreign and French ambassadors, French President Francois Hollande outlined his foreign policy objectives for the year, saying France would not shirk its responsibilities in fighting militancy after two deadly attacks marked his country last year. (Reuters)
