Family: No proof kidnapped soldier alive
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AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The uncle of a U.S. soldier kidnapped in Iraq said Tuesday that Ahmed Altaie's family has received no proof that he is still alive.
Entifadh Qanbar, in an interview with CNN, said that his nephew was apparently abducted by members of a breakaway group from the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr.
Altaie, a translator with the U.S. military, was seized Oct. 23 while visiting his wife on an unauthorized trip outside the Green Zone in Baghdad. Qanbar said that Abu Rami, a former member of the Mahdi Army who lives next door to Altaie's wife, was one of the kidnappers.
Intermediaries have approached the family with demands for a $250,000 ransom, Qanbar said. He said they are willing to negotiate but only if they get proof that Altaie has not been killed.
Qanbar told CNN that he was "shocked and impressed" by U.S. efforts to find Altaie and disappointed in the Iraqi government's reaction.
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