OT- Contractors and Allies being targeted in Iraq
Shiite Militiamen Control Parts of Three Iraqi Cities; Japanese, South Koreans Kidnapped
By Lee Keath Associated Press Writers - Apr 8, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Shiite Muslim militias held partial control Thursday over three southern Iraqi cities, while Sunni insurgents killed a U.S. Marine in the battle for Fallujah. In escalating violence, gunmen kidnapped three Japanese and eight South Korean civilians. In a videotape broadcast to the Arab world by Al-Jazeera, kidnappers armed with automatic rifles and swords threatened to kill the blindfolded Japanese hostages unless Tokyo withdrew its troops from Iraq.