THE WHITE HOUSE HAILED THE NEWS OF THE SAFE RESCUE OF THREE WESTERNERS HELD HOSTAGE IN IRAQ FOR FOUR MONTHS. 'IT'S GOOD NEWS THAT THE HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN RESCUED. THEY ARE SAFE AND FREE NOW,' SAID WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN SCOTT MCCLELLAN THE THREE MEN WERE MEMBERS OF THE CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKERS TEAM, WHICH RECORDS THE STORIES OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY WAR AND OCCUPATION AS A WAY OF HIGHLIGHTING THE BRUTALITY OF CONFLICT. A FOURTH MEMBER, AMERICAN CITIZEN TOM FOX, WHO WAS KIDNAPPED WITH HIS COLLEAGUES, WAS FOUND DEAD TWO WEEKS AGO. THE THREE REMAINING HOSTAGES, CANADIANS HARMEET SOODEN AND JIM LONEY, AND BRITON NORMAN KEMBER, WERE FREED IN A RAID BY COALITION FORCES THURSDAY. U.S. COLONEL JOHN SNOW TOLD AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE THAT THE THREE MEN WERE FOUND WEST OF BAGHDAD. IN WASHINGTON, MCCLELLAN MADE REFERENCE TO OTHER WESTERNERS STILL BEING HELD, INCLUDING FREELANCE JOURNALIST JILL CARROLL. 'THE SAFE RETURN OF ALL HOSTAGES REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY. ALL AMERICANS WHO ARE HELD HOSTAGE, WHEREVER THEY MAY BE, ARE A PRIORITY FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION,' HE SAID. THE FOUR CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAM MEMBERS WERE ABDUCTED ON NOVEMBER 26 BY A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN GROUP CALLED - THE BRIGADES OF THE SWORDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. THE GROUP THREATENED TO KILL THEM UNLESS ALL IRAQI PRISONERS WERE RELEASED.
