Gunmen snatch 150 Iraq ministry staff

[sabra]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/gunmen-snatch-150-iraq-ministry-staff/2006/11/14/1163266554481.html

Gunmen snatch 150 Iraq ministry staff

GUNMEN wearing Iraqi police commando uniforms kidnapped about 150 staff from a government building in central Baghdad yesterday, the head of the parliamentary education committee said.

Alaa Makki interrupted a parliamentary session to say that about 150 people, both Shiites and Sunnis, had been abducted in the 9.30am raid on the Higher Education Ministry building.

However, a public servant who saw the raid said the gunmen checked identity cards to sort Sunnis from Shiites, then drove off with only Sunni men.

"They were checking identity cards in the car park. They picked only the Sunni employees. They even took the man who was just delivering tea," the man said.

Police were watching, but did nothing, he said.

[kurth]

1. Thanks to the stupid chimp

He broke it REAL good.

[saigon68]

11. THE CHIMPANZEE

[PassingFair]

2. This is horrifying. n/t

Sorry, Iraq.

We broke you.

:cry:

*ucking freeper voters and enablers
in our own party who voted to allow
it who even now are wrangling for
control.

Sorry.

:cry:

[Captain Hilts]

3. Because they can. So, they did. nt

[ECH1969]

4. The Madhi Army was behind this one

Expect * to attack Sadr after this.

[Kagemusha]

14. Entirely possible.

That'd be the Ministry of Health attacking the Ministry of Education like it's a rival gang. Which may well be what happened. Scary stuff.

[JohnnyLib2]

5. horrifying is the only word, and our people

in Iraq have to think it is coming their way any day. Debacle.

[The Political Eye]

6. This makes me lose a bit of faith in humanity

What kind of world do we live in?

[MrPrax]

7. Good old sectarian violence?

"The gunmen had a list of names of those to be taken and claimed to be on a mission from the Government's anti-corruption body, Mr Makki said. Those kidnapped included the ministry's deputy general directors, employees, and visitors."

....

""As far as we know, this area is full of police and Defence Ministry checkpoints, and we know police vehicles followed the kidnappers to a specific area and after that we don't know what happened," Mr Dhiab said."

....

"A female professor visiting at the time of the kidnappings said the gunmen, some of them masked, wore blue camouflage uniforms of the type worn by police commandos."


Well planned, used list of names, no resistance, Green Zone...sure sounds sectarian! :eyes:

[yellowcanine]

20. Thank God it's not a CIVIL WAR, though. If we leave it will be, right?

[The Stranger]

8. Did they go on a field trip?

[Bigmack]

10. Yup... field trip and a dirt nap. NT

nt

[oberliner]

9. Gunmen kidnap up to 150 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen dressed as police commandos kidnapped up to 150 staff and visitors in a lightning raid on a Baghdad higher education office Tuesday, in the largest mass abduction since the start of the U.S. occupation. At least 82 people were killed or found dead around the country.


Hours later, the Interior Ministry said three of the kidnap victims were apparently set free and found unharmed along eastern Baghdad's Palestine Street.

They were taken from a Higher Education Ministry office that handles research grants and academic exchanges. The fate of the other kidnap victims remained unknown.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[phusion]

12. This is crazy...

I feel so bad about what these bastards in the white house have done to Iraq.

[Xenotime]

15. WTF are our troops doing over there?

If they can't do their jobs then get them out of Iraq.

[ddbaj]

13. Education keeps being a target...

Sad, very sad.

[rodeodance]

16. and 82 found dead nationwide: (Chief of police under investigation)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

Gunmen kidnap up to 150 in Baghdad

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen dressed as police commandos kidnapped up to 150 staff and visitors in a lightning raid on an education ministry office Tuesday, the largest mass abduction since the start of the U.S. occupation. Five senior police officers — including the neighborhood police chief — were later arrested, the government said.
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At least 82 people were killed or found dead in murders, bombings and clashes nationwide.

Iraq's higher education minister ordered all universities closed until security improvements are made, saying he was "not ready to see more professors get killed." Hours after the abductions, the Interior Ministry said three of the victims were found unharmed, but the fate of the others remained unknown.

"I have only one choice which is to suspend classes at universities. We have no other choice," the higher education minister, Abed Theyab, told parliament. Theyab said he had repeatedly petitioned for more university security from the government, but had received none.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the police chief in the downtown Karradah neighborhood where the kidnappings took place had been placed under investigation along with some of his officers. The spokesman, Brig. Abdul-Karim Khallaf, did not say whether the officers had been detained or if they were suspected of participating in the kidnappings.

[Doctor_J]

17. But if we leave, there'll be chaos!

:sarcasm:

[yellowcanine]

18. and CIVIL WAR!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[tabasco]

19. Happens all the times here in the States.

Republicans tell me Iraq is pretty much like Houston or Washington, DC. Even Rush Limbaugh said so, so it must be true.