Egypt engineers abducted in Iraq

[cal04]

Four Egyptian engineers working for a mobile telephone company have been kidnapped by Iraqi gunmen. The men were seized in front of their house near Baghdad's wealthy al-Mansour neighbourhood, officials said.

They worked for Iraqna, a subsidiary of the Egyptian Orascom Telecommunications that operates the mobile phone network in Baghdad and central Iraq. Six Egyptian employees of the firm were abducted last September but were subsequently released.

Many foreigners have been kidnapped by Iraqi militants usually demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops or companies associated with the US-led invasion of the country. Some have been killed, while others have been released. Many more Iraqis have been kidnapped, usually for ransom.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4240703.stm

[RebelOne]

1. I haven't seen any further news on the Italian

woman who was kidnapped last week. Anyone have any info?

[cal04]

2. Second Iraq Group Says Has Italian,Threatens Death

An Islamist militant group in Iraq (news - web sites) claimed responsibility for kidnapping an Italian journalist and threatened to kill her by Monday, following a kidnap claim from another group, according to an Internet statement.

The statement, which could not immediately be authenticated, was signed by a group calling itself the Jihad Organization. It threatened to kill Giuliana Sgrena by Monday if Italy did not withdraw its troops from Iraq.

A group with a similar name, the Islamic Jihad Organization, claimed Friday also to have taken Sgrena and set a 72-hour deadline for Italy to remove its troops, but did not specifically threaten to kill her.

"We in the Jihad Organization ... announce that we will implement God's law (kill) on the Italian prisoner Giuliana Sgrena after 48 hours if the Italian government, headed by the criminal Berlusconi, does not announce it will withdraw (troops) from Iraq," said the statement dated Saturday. "To the Italian people, it is time for you to know the truth about your criminal government that is still in Iraq," it said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050206/wl_nm/iraq_italian_claim_dc_2

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. Four Egyptians kidnapped in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Four Egyptians working for a mobile phone company were abducted Sunday by gunmen in Baghdad, and Islamic militants threatened to kill an Italian journalist by Monday unless Italy agrees to withdraw its troops.

In other violence a week after Iraq's election, attackers gunned down an Iraqi contractor who apparently worked with the U.S. military, and police in Karbala reported that a suicide car bomber struck a U.S. convoy south of the city Sunday morning, destroying a U.S. vehicle.

The U.S. military had no information on the blast, and there was no word on casualties.

The four Egyptians were seized early Sunday near the Mansour district of western Baghdad, the official said on condition of anonymity. They worked for Iraqna, a subsidiary of the Egyptian firm Orascom Telecommunications, which operates the mobile phone network in Baghdad and central Iraq.

Story: http://newsobserver.com/24hour/world/story/2090942p-10161513c.html



On edit, Thanks, mods for the move. Searched under "Egyptians" and missed the original thread.