this is new... their usual MO is to go after the women and children not seperate them out and let them go.
Posted on 11/14/2006 11:46:08 AM PST by jmc1969
Iraqi security forces say they have surrounded areas in Baghdad where they believe hostages are being held, after a mass kidnapping inside a government ministry building.
Hours earlier armed men raided Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education abducting up to 100 men, but a government spokesman says at least 20 have been released.
A witness, Houssam Hussein, works in the building, but had stepped out when the gunmen arrived.
"There were about 30 cars and the men were in police commander uniforms and armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns," he said.
"The attack took place around 12:00 pm (local time), when they entered the building they said they were visitors.
"As soon as they got in they took all the visitors, separating women from men, they rounded up all the men and young men.
"They even took a 60-year-old man and put him in the trunk of the car."
WACO II?.............
Time to reward these men with their 72 virgins.
"I'll be right back"
If this act goes unpunished ie much bloodshed... our mission there is done.
I doubt all 100 are truly "hostages" and not inside operatives. Still, likely some are actual victims.
Are they surrounding the place to stop the hostage takers getting out, or the US forces getting in ?
Every man in a fake uniform shot be shot on sight. No trials. This will put an end to this type of kidnapping.
If the shoe was on the other foot, the security forces would be executed and their bodies dumped in the street.
I'm not sure all those uniforms were fake.
I hope that the quick response by the Iraqis, surrounding the kidnappers almost immediately, means that an outside boundary has been set. In other words, Iraqis recognize that killing all of the academics doesn't help anyone.
This might finally be dark-thirty, where things start getting better.
The released ones are obviously traitors to the government..
Like a scene out of the Blues Brothers....
Fake Iraqi uniforms of all types are readily available for purchase.
re: The attack took place around 12:00 pm (local time)
All the copy editors must have been drunk or out to lunch when this article was put on the wire. There is no such thing as am or pm when you refer to 12:00 o'clock. It's 12 noon or 12 midnight, no am or pm.
re: when they entered the building they said they were visitors
Uh oh, sounds like something from Monty Python!
this is new... their usual MO is to go after the women and children not seperate them out and let them go.
The ministry is Sunni, and the kidnappers no doubt Shiite. Since the military is also largely Shia, the fact that some portion of the Army is taking action is actually an encouraging indication that there's some troops who think country is more important than tribe. Growing that group is the only chance we have to get a handle on this mess.
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