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| Gunmen kidnap Iraqi aid workers | Gunmen kidnap Iraqi aid workers |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Gunmen have staged a mass kidnapping at the office of the Iraqi Red Crescent in central Baghdad, seizing up to 30 male staff and visitors, officials say. | Gunmen have staged a mass kidnapping at the office of the Iraqi Red Crescent in central Baghdad, seizing up to 30 male staff and visitors, officials say. |
| Armed men wearing commando-style uniforms arrived in a fleet of vehicles and stormed the aid agency's office. | Armed men wearing commando-style uniforms arrived in a fleet of vehicles and stormed the aid agency's office. |
| Once inside, the assailants separated the men from the women. | Once inside, the assailants separated the men from the women. |
| It is the latest in a wave of such kidnappings and comes as the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair makes a surprise visit to the Iraqi capital. | It is the latest in a wave of such kidnappings and comes as the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair makes a surprise visit to the Iraqi capital. |
| A large convoy of new vehicles like those used by the Iraqi police drew up at the Red Crescent office in Baghdad, according to officials. | A large convoy of new vehicles like those used by the Iraqi police drew up at the Red Crescent office in Baghdad, according to officials. |
| Men in uniforms similar to those of the Interior Ministry's special commando forces got out and entered the building, saying they had been sent to check the premises. | Men in uniforms similar to those of the Interior Ministry's special commando forces got out and entered the building, saying they had been sent to check the premises. |
| Blair on surprise Iraq visit | |
| Once inside, they rounded up all the men away, including employees and visitors. Three Iraqi guards from the nearby Netherlands embassy were also seized. | Once inside, they rounded up all the men away, including employees and visitors. Three Iraqi guards from the nearby Netherlands embassy were also seized. |
| The Interior Ministry has said that none of its units had been on duty in the area at the time. | The Interior Ministry has said that none of its units had been on duty in the area at the time. |
| Infiltrated | Infiltrated |
| This is the latest in a long series of similar operations and the second in less than a week. On Thursday, gunmen in military uniforms kidnapped up to 70 people from a commercial area in the Sanak area of the capital, with at least two dozen being subsequently freed. | This is the latest in a long series of similar operations and the second in less than a week. On Thursday, gunmen in military uniforms kidnapped up to 70 people from a commercial area in the Sanak area of the capital, with at least two dozen being subsequently freed. |
| Many of the kidnappings have been blamed on Shia militias, masquerading as police commando units. | Many of the kidnappings have been blamed on Shia militias, masquerading as police commando units. |
| But there is also a suspicion that the police are so infiltrated by the militias that they are indistinguishable, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad. | But there is also a suspicion that the police are so infiltrated by the militias that they are indistinguishable, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad. |
| Criminal gangs seeking ransoms are also involved in kidnapping. | Criminal gangs seeking ransoms are also involved in kidnapping. |
| The Iraqi Red Crescent, the country's biggest humanitarian organisation, has previously been the target of the insurgency and random attacks. | The Iraqi Red Crescent, the country's biggest humanitarian organisation, has previously been the target of the insurgency and random attacks. |
| On Friday, the organisation also accused US troops of attacking its office and vehicles. | On Friday, the organisation also accused US troops of attacking its office and vehicles. |
| The Red Crescent, which has a staff of 1,000 and 200,000 volunteers, is the only Iraqi aid group working across the country's 18 provinces. | The Red Crescent, which has a staff of 1,000 and 200,000 volunteers, is the only Iraqi aid group working across the country's 18 provinces. |