An American contractor who had been held hostage in Iraq since January has been released, the Defense Department announced Saturday. Issa T. Salomi had been captured by Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Shiite militant group also known as the League of the Righteous. Last month, the group released a video on its Web site demanding the U.S. release detainees and calling for the private contractor Blackwater Worldwide, now known as Xe Services, to be punished for a 2007 shooting in Baghdad. Though it has not been confirmed, a Web site indicates that Salomi may have been released in exchange for four detainees in U.S. custody.
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