The apparent kidnapping of a Japanese man by a militant group in Iraq will not affect Tokyo’s troop deployment there, Japan’s defence chief said today as officials vowed to make every effort to win his release.

Iraqi militants claimed today they took a Japanese security contractor hostage after ambushing a convoy of foreigners and Iraqi troops in western Iraq.

A WEBSITE has posted a photograph of what it claimed was a US soldier kidnapped in Iraq, but doubts were quickly raised about its authenticity as the US military said no soldiers were missing.

A website posted a photograph of what it claimed was a kidnapped US soldier kidnaped in Iraq, but doubts were quickly raised about its authenticity and the US military said no soldiers were missing.

The US military said tonight that no American soldiers have been reported missing in Iraq, after Iraqi militants claimed in a web statement to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him.