Deadline Nears for U.S. Reporter in Iraq

A top Sunni politician appealed Friday for the release of American journalist Jill Carroll and urged U.S. and Iraqi forces to stop arresting Iraqi women as a deadline set by the reporter's kidnappers was set to elapse.

The kidnappers had threatened to kill Carroll, 28, unless all female detainees are freed by Friday. No hour was specified, and there was no indication that any prisoners had been released.

In a statement aired Friday by two major Arab television stations, Carroll's father, Jim, described his daughter as "an innocent woman" and told the captors that sparing her life would "serve your cause more than her death."

A U.S. Embassy official said he was unaware of any contacts between a high-level hostage release team and the kidnappers. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said U.S. authorities were meeting with various figures including political leaders, particularly from the Sunni Arab community, who may have links to the kidnappers.

Carroll, a freelancer for the Christian Science Monitor, was abducted Jan. 7 near the office of prominent Sunni Arab politician Adnan al-Dulaimi, whom she was going to interview. Her translator was killed.

On Friday, al-Dulaimi promised to work for the release of all female prisoners but warned that failure to set Carroll free would "undermine and hamper my efforts."

"We are against violence by any group, and we call the government and U.S. forces to stop raiding houses, arresting women," al-Dulaimi said in a statement. "I call upon the kidnappers to immediately release this reporter who came here to cover Iraq's news and defending our rights."

He urged militants to protect journalists "regardless of their nationality."

"This act has hurt me and makes me sad because the journalist was trying to meet me when she was kidnapped," he said, adding that she was abducted about 300 yards from his office.

U.S. authorities have confirmed they are holding eight Iraqi women, and the Iraqi Justice Ministry has called for six of them to be set free. It was unclear how many women may be in Iraqi custody.