U.S. officials would not say how many foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq, citing security concerns. A string of abductions has harried the efforts to rebuild Iraq in the past month, with two Russian oil workers the latest kidnap victims on Tuesday.

In the ongoing battle between U.S. and coalition forces and anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, there were conflicting reports Wednesday about whether a deal might soon be struck to end the combat.

In heavy fighting, U.S. tanks and troops killed nearly two dozen al-Sadr militia fighters near a holy shrine in Karbala, officials said, while stressing that any deal would come at the hands of Iraqi negotiators who have not consulted with U.S. officials.

Al-Sadr held a rare press conference, saying he would disband his militia if so ordered by other clerics, but would still oppose the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Al-Sadr's forces have been pummeled by U.S. troops in many engagements in the past 10 days. Many residents of Najaf, where he lives, have protested his insurgency, saying he threatens to prompt the destruction of religious shrines and has strangled the local economy, which depends on pilgrims traveling to those shrines.