Kidnappings a new challenge to Iraqi Govt

IRAQ: Gunmen in police uniforms staged a brazen daylight raid on bus stations in central Baghdad, kidnapping at least 50 people, including travelers, merchants and vendors selling tea and sandwiches.

The operation was a direct challenge to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to restore security in the capital, which has been hard hit by suicide attacks, roadside bombs and sectarian death squads.

Gunmen arrived at midmorning Monday and began randomly grabbing people in the shabby business district, where several transportation companies are based and buses pick up passengers bound mostly for Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohamedawi said. Both Shiites and Sunnis work in the area.

The attackers blocked the roads and beat people before putting bags on the captives' heads and leading them to vehicles one-by-one, a witness told an Iraqi television station. They herded their victims into more than a dozen vehicles, according to witnesses and officials.

"They took all the workers from the companies and nearby shops," said Haidar Mohammed Eleibi, who works for the Swan Transportation Co. in the Salihiya area.

He said his brother and a cousin were among those taken away, along with merchants, passers-by and even men selling tea and sandwiches.

"They did not give any reason for it," he said. "Police came afterward and did nothing."

Another transportation worker, Amjad Hameed, said 15 cars rushed into the area and the random seizures began. "We asked them why but nobody replied," he said.

The Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry, which oversees the police and has been accused of backing militias in sectarian violence, denied its forces were behind the attack.

Al-Mohamedawi and the ministry said at least 50 people were abducted.

Baghdad, Tuesday, AP