Four westerners kidnapped in Iraq

Canada confirmed today that four of its citizens were kidnapped in Iraq besides two other western relief employees.

The parliamentary secretary for the Canadian foreign minister said that the ministry has no information over the kidnapping operation such as the identity of the kidnapped or the relief agency for which they are working.

One official at the Canadian foreign ministry said that the ministry knows the identity of the two Canadians, but does not want to disclose it at the meantime in order not to affect their safety.

A relief agency working in Iraq had confirmed the kidnapping of four of its western employees, two of them believed to be from Canada, one from Britain and the 4th is American, adding that the four were kidnapped in an area west of Baghdad on Saturday.

The British foreign office and the American embassy in Baghdad said that they are investigating reports over the loss of their two citizens. This is the first kidnapping operation for foreigners in Baghdad since the kidnapping of an Irish journalist in October and the release of journalist Roy Carol, unharmed after 36 hours of his kidnapping.