Italian Journalist Purportedly Kidnapped in Iraq

By: Ravi Nessman, Associated Press Writer (AP) Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, who has been missing in Iraq since last week, has been kidnapped by militants, according to a video broadcast Tuesday on the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television station.

The militant group, calling itself "The Islamic Army in Iraq," did not threaten Baldoni directly, but said in a statement it could not guarantee his safety unless Italy announces within 48 hours that it would withdraw its 3,000 troops from Iraq, the network said.

The video showed a passport and other identification belonging to Baldoni and included a clip of a man purported to be the journalist with a black mustache and goatee, his image superimposed on a black background with the militant group's name.

According to an Arabic translation of his comments, the man identified himself as Baldoni and said he was 56 years old. He said he was a journalist, but also a volunteer for the Red Cross.

The newsreader, who paraphrased the militants' statement, said they criticized Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for taking positions against Islam and sending his military to join coalition forces here.

Italy insisted Tuesday it would keep its troops in Iraq, and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's office said in a statement his government would work to win Baldoni's freedom.

"We are committed to obtaining the freedom of Mr. Baldoni, who is in Iraq for private work as a journalist and therefore absolutely not connected to our government," Berlusconi's office said. "We will do so while maintaining the commitments made to the Iraqi provisional government ... therefore, we will continue our military and civilian presence."

The Italian Foreign Ministry reported Baldoni missing Friday and said he was believed to be in Najaf, the holy city south of Baghdad that has been the site of heavy fighting between militants and U.S. forces for nearly three weeks.

Baldoni is a freelance journalist who went to Iraq for the news magazine Diario. The magazine's editor in chief, Enrico Deaglio, told the ANSA news agency Friday that he last had contact with Baldoni on Wednesday.

Deaglio said by phone he was relieved to see pictures of Baldoni looking healthy in the video. "He's good, he's in shape, he's not humiliated and he can speak."

Two French journalists are still missing in Iraq. Christian Chesnot of Radio France-Internationale, or RFI, and Georges Malbrunot of Le Figaro newspaper and RTL radio, have not been in touch with their news organizations since Thursday.

On Sunday, Shiite militants freed U.S. journalist Micah Garen after holding him hostage for nine days.

"I'd just like to say that I'm very happy to be back right now. I'm just focused on getting home to see the people I love," a clean-shaven Garen said Tuesday in a brief statement to reporters in Baghdad. "I really appreciate the effort everyone went to help secure my release."