The family of a U.S. soldier who went missing in 2006 has learned that his remains were positively identified and returned to the United States in recent days. Meanwhile, at least three Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in today’s attacks.
Staff Sgt. Ahmed Altaie’s remains were handed over last week as part of a prisoner exchange involving the insurgent group Asaib Ahl al-Haq. No cause or time of death was released, but the group said he died within a year of his kidnapping. The Iraqi-born Altaie disappeared when he left the Baghdad’s Green Zone on Oct. 23, 2006 to visit his wife in the neighboring Karrada district. At the time, witnesses said masked gunmen had grabbed Altaie. An extensive search and years of negotiations failed to secure his safe release.
In Mosul, two recruits were killed and three more were wounded when mortars struck an army base. Gunmen killed a high school student at a market.
A Sahwa member and a companion were seriously wounded in a blast in Falluja.
