Former U.S. Soldier Released As Hostage From Iraq After 9 Months

A former U.S. soldier who had been held as a hostage in Baghdad for the last nine months, was freed Saturday and handed over to the U.S. Embassy in a gesture of goodwill. The hostage, Randy Michaels, was shown on television in military uniform with no insignia along with members of parliament from Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s movement to speak with reporters.

At the time he was captured last June, Michaels was serving in a civilian capacity in Irag after completing 15 months of service that began with his Iraq deployment in 2003. The Sadrist lawmakers described him as an American soldier but Michaels explained he was simply there as a civilian.

He said in remarks shown on Iraq’s Bagdadiya television:

“I was taken inside Baghdad and have been kept in and around different locations within the city by al-Maoud. It was explained to me that my release has been for humanitarian purposes and there was no exchange involved.”

Maha al-Douri, a lawmaker from Sadr’s bloc stated:

“We declare the release of the American soldier, Randy Michaels, without any compensation, according to the instructions of Moqtada al-Sadr, as a gift from him to the soldier’s family and to his people, and to correct the image of Islam.”

According to Qusay al-Souhail, deputy parliament speaker, the leadership of the Promised Day Brigade had decided to free Michaels after confirmation that U.S. troops had withdrawn from Iraq.

The Pentagon declared none of its serving troops are believed to be held in Iraq since last month when it recovered the remains of the last missing soldier.

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