BAGHDAD, July 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The governor of Iraq's western province of Al-Anbar expressed Saturday his willingness to resign in an effort to secure his kidnapped sons' release.

   "I am ready to comply to your demands, and if you believe my presence in the city of Ramadi, the provincial capital, does not serve the interests of the region, I am ready to go," Abdul Karim Burghis al-Rawi said in an open letter.

   However, Burghis defended his period of office, saying that he ordered the delivery of food and medicine to Fallujah residents when the city was under siege by the US forces in April.

   On July 28, unidentified gunmen stormed the governor's home in the flashpoint city of Ramadi, kidnapping his three sons aged between 15 and 30 and setting ablaze part of the house while the official was at work.

   Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, has been the bastion of insurgency against the US occupation of Iraq, but fighters have also frequently targeted Iraqi security forces describing them as collaborators with the occupation troops.

   Iraq has been gripped by a spate of kidnappings since April, during which dozens of foreigners were taken hostage by militants demanding foreign forces or companies pull out of the country.  Enditem