Office of Hostage Affairs

The AFP released an article today that mentions the "Office of Hostage Affairs" at the US Embassy in Baghdad. It sounds like the same organization as the Hostage Working Group also at the US Embassy in Baghdad, first organized in the summer of 2004.

US reveals Iraq 'hostage affairs' office
AFP, September 8, 2006

The White House revealed what may be a US diplomatic first: the US embassy in Baghdad houses a formal "Office of Hostage Affairs" to handle abductions of American citizens and other nationals.

"The United States, through the Office of Hostage Affairs in Embassy Baghdad, is addressing the scourge of kidnapping in
Iraq, a key source of terrorist financing," the White House said in an official document. [...]

The White House offhandedly revealed the office's existence on Thursday in a document released to bolster a speech by US President George W. Bush about the war on terrorism he declared after the September 11 attacks.

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The following is the phrase from the White House referenced in the AFP article:

9/11 Five Years Later: Successes and Challenges
See under section heading: Disrupting Financial Support
White House, September 7, 2006

The United States, through the Office of Hostage Affairs in Embassy Baghdad, is addressing the scourge of kidnapping in Iraq, a key source of terrorist financing. Through interagency and international efforts, hostages have been freed and/or rescued.