Two employees of United States broadcaster CBS News, one reportedly a British journalist, have been kidnapped in Iraq.
The United Kingdom journalist was seized by gunmen in Basra with his interpreter on Sunday, according to the Iraqi news agency Aswat al-Iraq (Voice of Iraq).
Aswat al-Iraq quoted an unnamed police source as saying that the pair were kidnapped from near their hotel, the Qasr al-Sultan, in the centre of the city.
A CBS News spokesperson confirmed that the broadcaster was attempting to locate two of its staff who had gone missing in the southern Iraqi city.
”Two journalists working for CBS News in Basra are missing. All efforts are under way to find them and until we learn more details, CBS News requests that others do not speculate on the identities of those involved,” the spokesperson said.
”CBS News has been in touch with the families and asks that their privacy be respected.”
The journalist’s wife told the Independent newspaper she hoped her husband would be released soon.
”We are sure he will be out as soon as he can and everything will be fine,” she said.
The Foreign Office in London said it was investigating. A spokesperson said: ”We are aware of reports of a Western national missing in Basra and we are urgently looking into it.”
According to press freedom campaign group Reporters Sans Frontières, last year 47 journalists and nine media assistants were killed in Iraq.
This brought the total number of journalists killed in the country since the 2003 invasion to 153, with media assistant casualties recorded at 29. – Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008