The kidnappers of the U.S. journalist Micah Garen reportedly set their hostage free on Sunday, according to a source close to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Us al-Chafadji, an intimate of al-Sadr, told the Arabic language broadcaster Al-Jazeera that the rebel Mahdi militia oppose kidnapping as a strategy. "Al-Sadr and the Mahdi army that is under his command reject the kidnapping and killing of hostages," hs said. There was no confirmation however that he had been released. Garen, a French-American journalist who was working on a documentary in southern Iraq about the smuggling of archaeological treasures, was kidnapped on August 13. His kidnappers, a group that called itself Martyrs' Brigade, has threatened to kill Garen unless the U.S. army withdraws from the pilgrim city of Najaf. After days of blooding fighting around the holy Shiite shrine, al- Sadr's supporters continued to occupy the mosque despite promises they would turn over control to a senior Shiite cleric. Hopes for Garen's release have risen and fallen over past days, hinging on remarks by al-Sadr supporters who have called for his release. --SP 2236 Local Time 1936 GMT
