Iraqi Prime Minister Expresses Doubt About Iran's Involvement in Disappearance of Three Americans

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday, January 21, that three Americans who went missing last week in Iraq 'suddenly disappeared' and he strongly doubted the Iranian government's involvement in this incident. According to Reuters, al-Abadi made these remarks ahead of his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. In response to reporters' questions about the possibility of Iranian involvement in the disappearance of the three Americans, he stated: 'I do not know anything about this. But I have strong doubts about Iranian involvement. We are not sure that they have been kidnapped. They disappeared suddenly.' Iraqi security agencies and American diplomatic sources reported on Tuesday that three American citizens had been kidnapped and are currently held by an Iranian-backed Shiite militia. Iraqi officials said that on Friday, unidentified armed individuals kidnapped the three from their private residence in the Dora neighborhood, located in southeastern Baghdad. This is the first case of kidnapping American citizens in Iraq since the withdrawal of American troops in 2011. American sources stated that there is currently no evidence of Iranian involvement in this kidnapping and believe that the three have not been transferred to Iran. Some analysts believe that the motivation behind this act is to weaken al-Abadi's position, who is trying to maintain a balance in Iraq's relations with the two rival powers, Iran and the U.S. Following the nuclear agreement and the lifting of some sanctions against Iran in exchange for a reduction in Tehran's nuclear activities, tensions between the Islamic Republic and the U.S. have decreased, and both sides have exchanged some prisoners. According to an informed source, the three American citizens were working for a company called General Dynamics, which is involved in some extensive contracts with the U.S. military. John Kerry did not comment on the disappearance of the three. The U.S. State Department announced on Sunday that it is cooperating with the Iraqi government to locate these individuals but did not confirm their kidnapping. On Tuesday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said, 'The overall picture regarding the details and how this incident occurred has become a bit clearer.' However, he did not provide further details.