'Search for my kidnapped friend'

Hallums was shown in a video in January pleading for help

On Wednesday, US contractor Roy Hallums was freed after almost a year in captivity in Iraq.

"Hussein", was one of the last people to see him before his capture and has spent months in the Iraqi capital attempting to track down his friend. Both men work for a Saudi Arabian company based in Baghdad.

He spoke to the BBC News website about the desperate search to find his friend and the anger he feels towards those he feels forgot about his plight.

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I was the last person Roy saw before he was taken.

He lived with me in Baghdad, we shared a room for six months before getting a pad of our own.

All I could think to myself is that he had no way of defending himself the whole time

We spent our lives together. That's why I never forgave myself. I could kill him, though. If he'd stayed next to me, by my side that day, he wouldn't have been taken.

We were going for dinner, some meeting with business partners, but he said he didn't want to come and left.

I could have been taken with him. I said: "Look, it's fine, we'll have some food, then leave, grab a few beers and watch television."

We walked to the main office, everyone was talking, I turned around for five minutes and he was gone.

Then this guy came in and said "there are masked gunmen in the building."

I grabbed my gun and ran, but in two minutes they had him.

Can you imagine what he's gone through?

'No-one listened'

Just being here, in Baghdad alone is indescribable. All I could think to myself is that he had no way of defending himself the whole time.

Hallums' former wife said he was in "good condition" considering his ordeal

They must have kicked the hell out of him.

I could still imagine him, lying on his bed in his room, talking to his daughters on the phone, wearing his grey slippers, we used to tease him and call him "grandpa" for those.

I will never forgive myself. I've been drinking, smoking, living on little more than two or three hours of sleep at night.

Why did no-one follow up on him? Why did no-one listen?

'Them or me'

I found out about his release only a few hours after it happened.

They came at us with guns and grenades and with an intention to kill

A friend from the FBI called and said: "Sit down and don't cry. We have Roy. He is alive."

I'm just stunned, We'd been trying to talk to people about Roy - anyone - to get them involved in the case but they just weren't interested.

No-one seemed to mention him or to care. It's so unfair.

I'm so glad he's out, although I don't know how he is mentally. At the moment the US authorities have two concerns - his health and a military debriefing.

They won't let anyone else talk to him in the meantime.

I keep thinking about Robert, the Filipino man captured alongside Roy during the raid and released earlier this year.

He still has to wear sunglasses, even at night, because they kept him in a hood for eight months while in captivity.

They used him as a punching bag the whole time, every time they [kidnappers] walked past him they'd kick him, or punch him and slap him.

The last proof of life we had of Roy was when Robert was released and he said that just before he got out he heard Roy's voice. So we kept our hopes up.

'Thank God he's alive'

I don't think it was intelligence that led to him being found. Baghdad is a huge city and there's no jurisdiction, no way of conducting a regular investigation.

Most Iraqis are scared or corrupt. In Iraq, if your information leads to a kidnapper or insurgent getting apprehended the bad guys will go after your family.

In Robert's case it was sheer fluke. Someone informed on the kidnappers, where they were staying. They noticed them coming and going from a house. Then the Iraqi police found him.

I'd been sending out messages to the last known mobile phone numbers the kidnappers had, asking them to call us regarding Roy.

It was a last resort as we had had no contact from them. That was a month ago and we had heard nothing back.

I exhausted myself writing to people to try to give his situation publicity.

No-one listened. But thank God now he's alive.

Hussein's name has been changed to protect his identity.