Updated at 11:15 p.m. EDT, March 17, 2012
According to senior officials working for Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, an associated militia group has released an American captive who may have been a U.S. soldier at one time. The 59-year-old Rand Hultz claims that he had once served in the U.S. military but was working as a civilian at the time of his capture by the Promised Day Brigade on June 18, 2011. He was handed over to the United Nations today, on specific orders from the senior cleric himself.
Although the U.N. confirmed Hultz is an American citizen, the Pentagon has denied reports that the man was a U.S. soldier. The State Department, however, is checking into the man’s identity. During his release, Hultz appeared in a video on al-Hurra TV, accompanied by two Iraqi lawmakers. According to Iraqi officials, he had seen combat in 2004.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon announced that the remains of the last known missing U.S. soldier, Staff Sgt. Ahmed al-Taie, were returned to the United States by a group rival to the Promised Day Brigade. Asaib al-Haq, also a Shi’ite group, claimed they bartered for those remains as a goodwill gesture towards the United States.
Meanwhile, at least six Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in the latest violence.
In Mosul, gunmen killed a civilian. A policeman was killed at a checkpoint. An I.E.D. wounded three people, including one civilian. Two civilians were killed and a woman was injured during another blast.
Two policemen were killed when an I.E.D. blew up their vehicle in Tuz Khormato.
In Baghdad, three civilians were wounded during a blast in the Mowasalat district.
