A U.S. hostage in Iraq Micah Garen, appearing on a videotape, has called on the United States to stop the bloodshed in the Iraqi city of Najaf, Al Jazeera television said on Friday. "He said he was asked to send a message to the American people to work to stop what he called 'the Najaf massacre'... he added that is receiving good treatment," the channel said, showing a videotape in which Garen appeared speaking to camera. Garen said he was in good health, the channel reported. Garen's words could not be heard but he looked physically well. He said he is being held by a group called the "Martyrs Brigades", the Qatar-based Arab satellite channel said. Garen, who works for New York-based media production company Four Corners Media, was kidnapped last week in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya. Militiamen allied to Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have been waging a bloody uprising in Najaf against U.S. forces for nearly two weeks. A Sadr aide from Nassiriya also called on the kidnappers to release Garen because of his reporting in Iraq. --More 2014 Local Time 1714 GMT
