Iraqis holding 40 hostages

Around 40 foreign hostages from 12 countries are currently being held by insurgents in Iraq, and the FBI is involved investigations into the abductions, a coalition spokesman said today.

“I am referring to people currently held,” Dan Senor said in Baghdad.

“The FBI is working with coalition forces and Iraqi security forces to seek out the hostage takers and the hostages,” said Senor, spokesman for US administrator Paul Bremer.

“We have a number of other law enforcement agencies from the international community who are working on this.”

Senor said the US led administration would not negotiate with “terrorists or kidnappers” to gain the hostages’ release.