WAR: American, 5 Others Kidnapped in Iraq, page 1

Several hostages were taken in Baghdad including one American, a Nepalese, and four Iraqi. Gunmen launched their attack on a compound owned by a Saudi construction company, and a pitched gun battle ensued.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen stormed the compound of a Saudi company in a fashionable Baghdad neighborhood Monday, seizing an American, a Nepalese and four Iraqis after a gunbattle in which a guard and one of the assailants were killed, police said.

The American, who was not identified, was the 12th U.S. citizen reported kidnapped or missing in Iraq. He was grabbed about 500 yards from the house where two Americans and a Briton were kidnapped last month. All three were beheaded.

The dramatic abduction occurred two days after the decapitated body of Japanese backpacker Shosei Koda was found in western Baghdad. The al-Qaida-affiliated movement of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for his kidnapping.

Elsewhere, gunmen assassinated the deputy governor of Baghdad while to the west of the capital U.S. troops clashed with Sunni insurgents in Ramadi, killing an Iraqi freelance television camera operator. American artillery pounded suspected insurgent positions in Fallujah, and residents reported fresh air and artillery attacks there late Monday.

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A guard and one assailant was killed during the attack. The attack occurred after the sunset meal that is a traditional part of Ramadan. Eyewitnesses report at least 20 gunmen involved in the attack. As of yet, no demands have been made nor has the identity of the group been revealed.