Gadhafi forces capture USA TODAY writer, 3 other journalists

Moammar Gadhafi's forces have captured four journalists in Libya. Two are U.S. citizens, one of whom has reported on the civil war for USA TODAY.

Here's what the paper's world and military affairs editor, William Dermody, reports:

Clare Morgana Gillis has reported for USA TODAY, The Atlantic and the Christian Science Monitor. The other U.S. citizen arrested is James Foley, a journalist for GlobalPost.

Human Rights Watch stated Thursday that witnesses said that the four reporters were in a car Tuesday a few miles outside of Brega, the scene of intense fighting recently, when they were stopped by pro-government forces and taken away. The driver was released and the car destroyed with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Rebels who witnessed the arrest reported what they saw to The New York Times, which alerted Human Rights Watch. The other two journalists taken are Manu Brabo, a Spanish photographer, and Anton Hammerl, a South African photographer.

Last month, four journalists for the Times were captured and released after six days. Gillis, of New Haven, Conn., is a graduate of Harvard University. The location of the journalists is not known.

The State Department, Human Rights Watch and the Libyan foreign media office have been informed of the situation and asked to intervene on behalf of the journalists.

"Clare Morgana Gillis has provided excellent coverage of the conflict in Libya as a journalist working for numerous American publications including USA TODAY," said Editor John Hillkirk. "We ask Libyan authorities to ensure her safety and release her immediately, along with the three journalists who are with her."

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