A Shiite Muslim group claiming to hold five Britons abducted in May released a videotape Tuesday showing one of the hostages guarded by two armed men and demanding that British troops leave Iraq. It was believed to be the first time any of the men had been seen since their seizure May 30 from an Iraqi Finance Ministry compound in Baghdad. Four of the men work for the Canadian-based security company Garda World. They were guarding the fifth man, a computer expert, when they were abducted.
"My name is Jason," said the dark-haired, bearded man wearing a tan shirt and sitting on the ground. "I've been here now for 173 days, and I feel we have been forgotten."
The video, dated Nov. 18, was aired on the Arabic-language Al Arabiya satellite news station. It gave no indication of the whereabouts of the other hostages.
The British government has announced plans to cut its force in southern Iraq from 5,000 to 2,500 by June, but in the video, the abductors demand a total withdrawal to begin within 10 days.
In June, Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, told the Times of London that he believed that the five Britons were being held by the same Iranian-backed "secret cell" of the Mahdi Army loyal to the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that is suspected of killing five U.S. soldiers during a raid in Karbala in January.
CONGRESS, PRESIDENT IN BUDGET STANDOFF
President Bush and congressional Democrats are still locked in a struggle over Iraq spending, with neither side budging. The conflict could be on display again this week, if the Senate revisits a $50 billion measure to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but call for most troops to come home by Dec. 15, 2008.
The bill likely is doomed since it is identical to one blocked last month by Senate Republicans, who said Democrats were trying to limit military commanders' flexibility by imposing arbitrary withdrawal dates. The bill failed 53-45, falling seven votes short of the 60 required to overcome procedural hurdles and avoid a presidential veto.
U.S. SOLDIER KILLED
The U.S. command reported that a soldier was killed Monday when a vehicle exploded in Anbar Province. There was no indication that the blast was caused by enemy action.
