American Soldier Purportedly Abducted

A U.S. soldier is missing in Iraq after reportedly being abducted by gunmen after venturing off on an unauthorized trip to visit relatives in Baghdad. The soldier, whose name has not yet been released, is of Iraq-American decent. He was last seen Monday afternoon in the Green Zone.

The U.S. military appears to be pursuing the theory that the missing soldier was kidnapped by Shiite militiamen.

Shortly after announcing that the service member – who worked as an Army linguist – was MIA/DUSTWUN, U.S. forces raided the Shiite-controlled al-Furat television station. The TV station is owned by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the country's largest political coalition.

On Tuesday, U.S. troops cordoned off the capital's Shiite Karradah district and went door-to-door seeking information on the missing American. It is believed that the missing soldier has family in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major raid in the sprawling Shiite slum of Sadr City, situated in eastern Baghdad. The early-morning raid triggered a series of clashes that resulted in the deaths of 10 suspected militiamen. A total of 13 suspects, including three who are believed to have been intimately involved in the kidnapping, were apprehended during the incursion.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction although suspicion has fallen on the Mahdi Army.

Once again on Friday U.S. forces pushed deep into the heart of Sadr City in the ongoing search for the soldier, identified as Ahmed Qusai al-Taei by an Arabic television station.