Sepcial Report: Tension accelerates in Iraq

   TIKRIT, Iraq, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen ambushed acivilian car and kidnapped two contractors working for the Iraqiarmy on Tuesday, said a source from the U.S. and Iraqi liaison office in Tikrit.

   "Unidentified armed men in their car opened fire at the contractor's car and forced them to stop on the main road between Tikrit and Uwja (Saddam Hussein's home town)," the source from the Tikrit Joint Coordination Center told Xinhua.

   The gunmen dragged the two Iraqi contractors from their car and kidnapped them, he said.

   The contractors were providing food for the Iraqi military troops, according to the source.

   Meanwhile, gunmen opened fire at a taxi travelling north of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, killing a person and wounding two others, said the source.

   The police later identified the victims as Iraqi army soldiers wearing civilian clothes, added the source.

   Insurgents frequently target contractors working in Iraq, accusing them of being collaborators with the U.S. occupation forces.  Enditem