Not Exactly A Good Time To Visit

Why does this sound odd to me? As dangerous as Iraq is - Baghdad in particular - why would you go calling on family knowing that almost everyone is a target?

A U.S. soldier who went missing on Monday was kidnapped by masked gunmen while visiting a relative's house in Baghdad outside the heavily-fortified Green Zone compound, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

It said the soldier, a linguist assigned to a reconstruction team, was handcuffed and forced into a vehicle.

The soldier was reported missing on Monday and was last seen the same afternoon at the Green Zone, which houses government offices, foreign embassies and U.S. military forces.

The soldier was not named but a U.S. Army official in Washington said the man was an American citizen of Iraqi descent.

"He was reportedly at a relative's house at the time of the abduction when three cars pulled up to the residence. The men, who were described to have dark colored rags over their noses and mouths, handcuffed the soldier and forced him into one of the vehicles," the military said in a statement.

It said the kidnappers had contacted the soldier's relatives using his cellphone.