A French journalist holding an American passport was kidnapped in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV reported Monday.

The journalist, identified as Micah Garen, was abducted by agroup of unknown men Saturday while he was covering news about archaeological sites in the city.

The man was kidnapped along with his Iraqi translator, said alocal source, adding that the translator's family had first reported the two missing.

Garen is the founder and head of Four Corners Media, a company specializing in film, photo and written documentaries with offices in New York and Colorado.

No other details were immediately available and it was not clear what the motive was.

Iraqi militants in the southern Iraqi city of Basra kidnapped British journalist James Brandon on Friday and released him later after aides of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demanded he be freed.

Source: Xinhua