Kidnapped Army linguist ‘delighted’ to be back in US, says he never feared abandonment in Iraq

Abducted Army linguist glad to be back in US

SAN ANTONIO — A civilian Army employee kidnapped while working as a linguist in Iraq released a statement Wednesday saying he is delighted to be back in the United States and is focused being able to reintegrate back into his normal life.

Issa Salomi, a 60-year-old Iraqi-American kidnapped in January, returned to the U.S. late Tuesday night and is undergoing medical tests and debriefings with Army officials at Fort Sam Houston, where a voluntary reintegration program for former hostages is housed.

“I am safe, healthy and unharmed, and am delighted to be back,” he said in a statement released by the Army. “Few experiences have ever been as satisfying to me as the moment Tuesday when the wheels of my airplane touched down on American soil.”

Army South spokeswoman Arwen Consaul said the San Diego-area man was eager to see his family.

Salomi said he is focused on completing the reintegration process to ensure his return will be as smooth as possible for him and his family.

Salomi was kidnapped in late January from Baghdad, where he was assigned to work with U.S. soldiers. A Shiite extremist group, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, claimed responsibility and released him last week, saying he was let go after the Iraqi government released four of the group’s members.

His family has said Salomi came to the United States in 1991 just days before U.S. forces invaded Iraq during the first Gulf War. He became a U.S. citizen and returned to Iraq in 2007 to work with U.S. soldiers.

Salomi said he never feared that the U.S. military would abandon him.

“That faith has been confirmed in abundance during my first few days of freedom,” he said.

The Army has provided few details about Salomi’s kidnapping and release. Salomi said he would be able to discuss his experience after reintegration.