Qaeda-linked group says abducted US soldiers in Iraq
DUBAI, June 19 (Reuters) - A group linked to Iraq's al Qaeda said on Monday it had abducted two American soldiers near Yusufiya, according to a statement posted on the Internet.
U.S. and Iraqi forces are searching for two U.S. soldiers who went missing on Friday after an attack on a checkpoint near Yusufiya south of Baghdad that killed another soldier.
"Your brothers in the military wing of the Mujahideen Shura Council kidnapped two American soldiers near Yusufiya," the group said. "We will provide you with more details about the incident in the next coming days."
The authenticity of the statement could not be verified.
The posting on a Web site often used by Islamist militants did not provide any proof of the kidnapping. Iraqi militant groups have often posted pictures of identification cards of hostages or issued video tapes of them.
The Council is an umbrella body composed of al Qaeda in Iraq and some other Sunni Islamist militant groups.
U.S. and Iraqi forces are searching for two U.S. soldiers who went missing on Friday after an attack on a checkpoint near Yusufiya south of Baghdad that killed another soldier.
"Your brothers in the military wing of the Mujahideen Shura Council kidnapped two American soldiers near Yusufiya," the group said. "We will provide you with more details about the incident in the next coming days."
The authenticity of the statement could not be verified.
The posting on a Web site often used by Islamist militants did not provide any proof of the kidnapping. Iraqi militant groups have often posted pictures of identification cards of hostages or issued video tapes of them.
The Council is an umbrella body composed of al Qaeda in Iraq and some other Sunni Islamist militant groups.
posted by Marko at 6/19/2006 08:07:00 AM
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