Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says he is deeply concerned about three of his relatives who were kidnapped earlier this week, but he says the abductions will not deter him from fighting terrorists.
Mr. Allawi on Saturday took a firm stance, saying his main priority remains the Iraqi people and their safety.
The prime minister's 75-year-old cousin, the cousin's wife and their pregnant daughter-in-law were abducted at gunpoint Tuesday in Baghdad. A deadline for their execution passed Thursday with no word of their fate.
The fate of several other Iraqi and foreign hostages remains unknown. Among them are two French journalists kidnapped in August, and British-born Iraqi aid worker Margaret Hassan, who was kidnapped nearly a month ago.