Gunmen abduct Shiite bus passengers in Iraq

[ProSense]

Gunmen abduct Shiite bus passengers in Iraq

by Salam Faraj

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Gunmen ambushed a bus near the restive Iraqi city of Baquba on Monday and kidnapped 14 Shiite passengers, a day after 13 members of a family were killed when a train rammed into their car.

Armed men set up a fake checkpoint near the village of Albushaheen in Diyala province and stopped a bus carrying 14 Shiites, police officer Hazim Yassin told AFP from the provincial capital of Baquba.

The gunmen kidnapped all the passengers, including some women and children, he said.

Diyala is one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq where militants led by Al-Qaeda have continued to carry out brutal attacks despite a US-backed counter-offensive.

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