US State Dept investigating reports that 3 Americans detained by Iranians near Iraq border
By Yahya Barzanji, APFriday, July 31, 2009
Iraq: US investigating report of missing Americans
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — The U.S. State Department says it’s investigating reports that three Americans have been detained by Iranians after wandering near the border in the self-ruled Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
Two Kurdish officials say the three Americans apparently were arrested after entering Iranian territory without permission.
One security official says the missing Americans were tourists on an outing.
The official says the three contacted a colleague Friday and said “they had mistakenly entered Iranian territory and troops surrounded them.”
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood says the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is “aware of the report and is investigating.”
Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
