Iraqi forces searching neighborhood after 3 Americans reportedly kidnapped

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi security forces have been searching the Baghdad neighborhood where three Americans were reportedly kidnapped over the weekend. The troops on Monday closed streets and conducted house-to-house searches.


An Iraqi government intelligence official says the Americans were kidnapped from the home of their interpreter in the southern Baghdad neighborhood of Dora. The official says the Americans had been invited into the home. After the kidnapping, they were taken to the Sadr City neighborhood, where the official says "all communications and contact stopped."

A local policeman offered a different account, saying the individuals were taken from their car Saturday along a highway in Dora while driving to the airport.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed Sunday that 'several" Americans had gone missing. The embassy didn't identify them or say what they were doing in Iraq.

Kidnappings in Iraq have been carried out by the Islamic State group, Shiite militias and criminal gangs often demanding ransom payments or seeking to resolve workplace disputes.