The four Westerners kidnapped by an Iraqi terrorist gang belong to an anti-war group that calls itself Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Today, Christian Peacemaker Teams released a statement about the kidnappings. They’re angry. Very angry.

At the United States and Britain.

In a statement, Christian Peacemaker Teams said it strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and blamed the kidnapping on coalition forces.

“We are angry because what has happened to our teammates is the result of the actions of the U.S. and U.K. government due to the illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression of its people,” the group said.

Christian Peacemaker Teams does not consider itself a fundamentalist organization, a spokeswoman said.

“We are very strict about this: We do not do any evangelism, we are not missionaries,” Jessica Phillips told The Associated Press in Chicago. “Our interest is to bring an end to the violence and destruction of civilian life in Iraq.”

The group’s first activists went to Iraq in 2002, six months before the U.S.-led invasion, Phillips said, adding that a main mission since the invasion has been documenting alleged human rights abuses by U.S. forces.