US embassy confirms ‘several’ Americans missing in Baghdad

The US embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that “several” Americans are missing in Iraq after local media reported that three Americans had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital.

US embassy spokesman Scott Bolz said yesterday: “We are working in full cooperation with Iraqi authorities to locate the missing Americans.”

His comments came after the Arab news channel, al-Arabiya, citing its own sources, reported that three Americans had been kidnapped by militias in Baghdad.

The incident comes after a week that has seen a deterioration of security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm.

Islamic State claimed a number of attacks in Baghdad and Diyala province last week that killed more than 50 people, including a high profile attack on a mall in the Iraqi capital. – (PA)