The US military is offering a $200,000 reward for information regarding the whereabouts of three soldiers who were kidnapped following an ambush Saturday. Helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets over the southern region of Iraq where the attacks took place, beseeching Iraqis to call a hotline with information. Search operations "are ongoing and are by no means complete," one general said.
The three soldiers, all based at Fort Drum in New York, are presumed alive. The massive rescue mission has gleaned more than 140 tips from the questioning of some 600 Iraqis; two confessed to taking part in the attack, and 11 more were detained. Officials say the assault involved at least 10 insurgents and was a "planned snatch." (More Iraq stories.)