Missing Americans in Iraq; 2 militias deemed most likely responsible - Action News
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Missing Americans in Iraq; 2 militias deemed most likely responsible

An Iraqi police commander and a Western security official in Baghdad have named two powerful Shia militias as top suspects in the abduction of three Americans last weekend in a southern neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Saraya al-Salam cited by officials requesting anonymity

Iraqi security forces man a checkpoint on the main road from Baghdad's central Jaderiyah district to Dora on the southern outskirts of the Iraqi capita on Jan. 18, as authorities search for three missing Americans. (Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty Images)

An Iraqi police commander and a Western security official in Baghdad have named two powerful Shia militias as top suspects in the abduction of three Americans last weekend in a southern neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital.

They say one of the two militias Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Saraya al-Salam were likely behind the attack.

The police commander says "nobody can do anything in that neighbourhood without the approval of those militias." The Western security official confirmed that intelligence assessments had narrowed down the suspects to those the two groups.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that several Americans are missing and says they are working with Iraqi authorities to locate them.