Reporter's mom asks for mercy

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The mother of an American journalist kidnapped in Iraq appealed for her daughter's life on Thursday, the eve of a deadline set by her captors for the release of all women in U.S. custody in the country.

"Taking vengeance on my innocent daughter, who loves Iraq and its people, will not create justice," Mary Beth Carroll said in a message aimed at the gunmen holding Jill Carroll, 28.

Sunni Muslim leaders in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East joined intensifying calls for mercy. But as new video images emerged Thursday of the pale, dark-haired woman surrounded by armed and masked men, U.S. authorities showed no sign of yielding to the kidnappers' demand.

In Washington, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the Bush administration was working to secure Carroll's freedom, but he said no Iraqi detainees were expected to be released soon.

Carroll, a freelance reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, was abducted Jan. 7.