Less than 24 hours after Obama paid the Iranian regime for the return of US hostages in Iran three Americans are kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq.
Three American soldiers and a translator have reportedly been kidnapped by militia in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. (Russia Today)
We are reporting on Al Arabiya according to well informed sources that 3 #Americans have been kidnapped in #Baghdad by Militia members.
— Talal Al-Haj (@TalalAlhaj) January 17, 2016
#Breaking Sources: Three Americans kidnapped by militias in Baghdad
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 17, 2016
UPDATE: The US contractors were kidnapped by Iranian-supported Shiite militia members.
The Washington Post reported:
A report from the pan-Arab satellite channel al-Arabiya said “militias” had abducted the group in the area of Dora in the city’s south.
Both Sunni and Shiite militants are present in the Iraqi capital, but Shiite militias operate as powerful auxiliary forces. Many of those militias are backed by Iran.
Some analysts who closely follow Iran and its regional proxies suggested Sunday that the abduction of American citizens in Baghdad may have been a projection of Iranian power, in particular by hardliners who opposed the prisoner deal with the United States over the weekend. Iran released four dual Iranian-American citizens who were being held in Iranian prisons; the United States offered clemency to seven Iranians charged or imprisoned for sanctions violations. American authorities also dismissed charges against 14 Iranianas outside the United States.
Some local media reports said that Shiite militias had indeed abducted the Americans, but that news was not confirmed.