EAST KURDISTAN (IRAN) MESOP MISSING – 3 Americans Taken by Iran-Backed Militia
20 Jan 2016 – MESOP The U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad last week are being held by an Iranian-backed militia, Iraqi and U.S. officials said late Tuesday. The men are the first Americans abducted in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew in 2011. “They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons,” Iraqi sources in Baghdad told Reuters reporters. The men were at the home of a translator when they were taken. U.S. officials said Tehran is not believed to be behind the disappearance. www.mesop.de