A group calling itself the Martyrs Brigade said it had
kidnapped a missing American journalist and would kill him if U.S.
forces did not leave Najaf within 48 hours, the al-Jazeera satellite
television network reported Thursday. The network broadcast a video
that depicted a man resembling the missing journalist, Micah Garen,
kneeling in front of five masked men armed with rifles and
rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The hostage, who had a mustache,
looked down throughout the video. It was not possible to verify the
authenticity of the tape. A voice on the tape said the kidnappers would
kill Garen, who also has French nationality, within two days if U.S.
forces did not leave Najaf, where they have been fighting the Mahdi
Army militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. [more ]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.
]