Japanese taken hostage in Iraq
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A Japanese security consultant was taken hostage May 8 after insurgents ambushed the car in which he was traveling west of Baghdad.
The militant group Ansar al-Sunnah Army has claimed responsibility for the ambush and the abduction of Akihiko Saito, 44
The group said on its Web site May 9 that it killed four foreign contractors and that a fifth, Saito, was seriously wounded.
Saito's employers, international security firm Hart, said he may have died from the wounds sustained in the ambush. The Japanese government said it believes he is still alive.
Saito had been with the French Foreign Legion for more than 20 years, and is known to have belonged to the Ground Self-Defense Force more than two decades ago
He had worked for Hart in Iraq from December 2004.
The Ansar al-Sunnah Army is believed to be a breakaway faction of Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish-led group with links to al-Qaeda. It has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Iraq. (AP)
イラクで日本人拘束
英警備会社に勤務する警備コンサルタントの斎藤昭彦さんがイラクで8日、武装勢力に拘束された。
Shukan ST: May 20, 2005
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