Gunmen kidnap 50 workers in Iraq

Gunmen kidnap 50 workers in Iraq
By Mohammed al-Ramahi and Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen in police uniforms abducted up to 50 employees of Baghdad transport companies in broad daylight on Monday, Interior Ministry sources said, as a crisis over filling key security posts deepened.

They carried out what appeared to be a coordinated operation along a street that is home to several firms offering transport to

Syria and Jordan, police said.

"It took them about five minutes to take people away. One, two, three, four -- one after another," said witness Hamza Ali, recalling the men with rifles and strapped with grenades who suddenly showed up in 10 pickup trucks.

The motive for the abductions was unclear but businesses have been hit by kidnappers for various reasons such as ransom, revenge killings and religious rivalry.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060605/ts_nm/iraq_dc