Baghdad, 29 March-(ANA)-The kidnappers of five Britons held in Iraq for nearly two years claim to have reached a deal over their release, according to an unconfirmed report.
The Guardian newspaper in London claims a statement from the hostage-takers said Britain and the US had agreed to trade one hostage for 10 detained Sadrist militants.
The statement is from a Shia group called Leagues of the Righteous.
The UK Foreign Office refused to comment on the story but said it was doing all it could to release the men.
The Leagues of the Righteous spokesman said one of the hostages would be freed soon, along with up to eight men, all Sadrist loyalists, currently being held by the US army in Iraq, according to the Guardian.
It is understood a former spokesman for the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and a Lebanese Hezbollah leader captured in Iraq in 2007 are among the group of detained militants. (ANA)