British journalist freed in Iraq

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Richard Butler, from the US television network CBS News, was found with a sack over his head and his hands tied inside a house, apparently unharmed.

Mr Butler was found during an Iraqi military sweep in the Jibiliya area, a Shiite militia stronghold.

A defence ministry spokesman said that an army patrol conducting a search came under fire from the house where Mr Butler was being held. One of the gunmen was wounded in an exchange of fire and another captured while two men managed to escape.

Mr Butler was later shown on Iraqi state television laughing and greeting his rescuers.

"Thank you and I'm looking forward to seeing my family and my friends at CBS and thank you again," Mr Butler said.

He described the soldiers' performance as "brilliant.".

"The Iraqi army stormed the house and overcame my guards and they burst through the door," Mr Butler said. "I had my hood on which I had to have on all the time and they shouted something at me and I pulled my hood off."

Mr Butler was kidnapped along with his Iraqi interpreter on February 10 in Basra. The interpreter was later released. Iraqi police and witnesses said the two men were seized by about eight masked gunmen wielding machine guns who stormed a hotel in the city.

Iraqi forces have recently started house-to-house sweeps for arms, weapons, drugs and criminal elements in several parts of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city. The military said it has uncovered an improvised explosive device factory, along with significant arms caches and numerous roadside bombs, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. http://www.cbs.com/(CBS)