BEIJING, Nov. 15 -- Gunmen wearing uniforms of the Iraqi police commando units have rounded up dozens of men at a government building in central Baghdad. They then drove off. This may be the biggest mass kidnapping in a city increasingly used to such violence.

    Police and eyewitnesses say gunmen arrived in new pick-up vehicles and stormed the Research Directorate building of the Higher Education Ministry in Karrada, a religiously mixed neighborhood.

    The head of the parliament's education committee interrupted lawmakers to say between 100 and 150 people, both Shiites and Sunnis had been abducted.

    Alaa Makki, head of Parliamentary education committee said, "A group of terrorists in a military uniform said they were from the Commission on Public Integrity to combat government corruption and that they had lists of wanted people, so they kidnapped all the men they found there. They kidnapped Deputy Director Generals, all employees, assistants and cleaners, leaving nobody behind."

    Makki urged the prime minister and ministers of interior and defense to respond rapidly. The higher education minister immediately ordered all universities closed until security improvements are made.

    The minister is a member of the main Sunni Arab political bloc. Most ministries have become fiefdoms of particular parties.

    The abductions appear to be the boldest in a series of killings and other attacks on Iraqi academics. The violence is driving thousands of professors and researchers to flee to neighboring countries.

    (Source: CCTV)

Gunmen kidnap up to 100 employees from gov't building

    BAGHDAD, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen kidnapped some 100 people working for the Higher Education Ministry in Baghdad on Tuesday, the state-run television reported.

    Gunmen wearing Iraqi police commando uniform stormed the ministry's Research Directorate building in the Nidhal Street in Karradah district, kidnapping more than 100 male employees, the television said.

    Thiyab al-Ajili, minister of the ministry, also confirmed the incident.

    Women employees were separated from the men and locked in a room after having their mobile phones confiscated by the gunmen, the report said.

    Earlier, an Interior Ministry source said that up to 25 employees were kidnapped from the building.

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