Posted on 12/14/2006, 9:48:53 AM by james500
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen in military uniforms kidnapped dozens of people Thursday from a commercial area in central Baghdad, police said.
The attackers drove up to the busy al-Sanak area in about 10 sport utility vehicles and began rounding up shop owners and bystanders. Two police officers said 50 to 70 people were abducted.
The assault came nearly a month after gunmen in Interior Ministry commando uniforms abducted scores of men from a Higher Education Ministry office building. The Education Ministry is predominantly Sunni Arab. About half of the victims were released.
Al-Sanak is an area of stores selling auto parts, small power generators and agricultural equipment.
The stores are owned by a mix of Shiites, Sunnis and others, and it was not immediately clear why it was targeted. Victims in previous mass kidnappings have been rounded up, with those belonging to one or the other Islamic sect later released.
Mohammed Qassim Jassim, a 37-year-old owner of a clothes store in the area, said the attack started about 11 a.m.
"We heard cars and shootings in the area and then we saw gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms and driving SUVs who were snatching people from the shops and street. It took like 20 minutes for them to fan out and control the area," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
He was the source for several similar stories of mass kidnappings, murders and torture that were later found to be untrue or misstated.
IIRC they all came from AP/newsday.
prisoner6
Just saw this in the BBC site.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6178667.stm
Many were saying Pres. Bush looked stressed/tired yesterday during the press conference. Maybe this is what was bothering him.
Good thing the "police" were there to provide witness testimony... As "police" officials, aren't they supposed to prevent these things from happening, or are they only asked to count the number of victims kidnapped?
Is there an Iraqi translation for Barney Fife?
You really are on to something here.
Nothing is being said about what a high percentage of these sensational events end up being false.
Radicals are just sending stuff into the Bush reactionary media machine and know it will be printed and instantly believed to fit the meme that the war is failing.
It is such a farce-- and a dangerous one at that.
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