New Baghdad Bomb; Fate Of Abducted Unclear

Doubts Now About Earlier Report That Most Abductees Were Freed

(CBS/AP) 
Al-Maliki faces intense pressure from the United States to disband and disarm the militias and their death squads, which are deeply involved in the country's sectarian slaughter and are believed to have thoroughly infiltrated the police and security forces.

U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid sternly warned al-Maliki face-to-face on Monday that he must disband the militias and give the United States proof that they have been disarmed, according to senior Iraqi government officials with knowledge of what the men discussed.

So far, the prime minister has said the militias should not act illegally but has taken no tough action against them.

Al-Maliki, who leads a Shiite-dominated Iraqi government, appeared to minimize the importance of Tuesday's kidnappings. The abductions were believed to be the work of the Mahdi Army, the heavily armed al-Sadr militia which controls the Karradah district.

“What is happening is not terrorism, but the result of disagreements and conflict between militias belonging to this side or that,” al-Maliki said in televised remarks during a meeting with President Jalal Talabani.

That response was likely to prompt deeper concerns among the U.S. military and the Bush administration. The Americans have struggled for 44 months to put in place a democratic and multi-sectarian and multiethnic government that would embrace the Sunni and Kurdish minorities, even if dominated by the Shiite majority.

Since taking office in May, al-Maliki has essentially refused to reach out to the Sunnis, who ran the country for decades under Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi leader, toppled in the 2003 U.S. invasion, ordered the killing of hundreds of thousands of Shiites.

Iraqi officials gave wildly differing accounts of how many people were abducted in the raid on the Ministry of Higher Education office that handles academic grants and exchanges. Figures ranged from as many as 150 to as few as 45.

By late Tuesday the top estimate, given by Higher Education Minister Abed Theyab, appeared to have been inflated. Both the Interior and Defense ministries issued statements declaring that no more than 50 people were abducted. But the lower figure included only employees known to have been at work in the building and did not count an unknown number of people in the offices on business.

Even at 50, the mass abduction would be the equal of two past kidnappings in which at least 50 victims were spirited away by gunmen.

Tuesday's kidnapping was believed to have been in retribution for the abduction three days earlier of 50 Shiite passengers who were snatched off minibuses by Sunni gunmen at a fake checkpoint along the highway near Latifiyah, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. The gunmen killed 10 passengers before making away with their captives.

Although the kidnappers Tuesday were believed to be Shiites, it was unclear whether their hostages were mostly Sunni.

Alaa Makki, head of parliament's education committee, said the gunmen had a list of names of those to take. Those kidnapped included the office's deputy general directors, employees and visitors, he said.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni Muslim group in the country, called the kidnapping “not only a crime but a major political farce.”

“How can 50 new vehicles move around in ... the area most heavily controlled by security agencies in the middle of the day?” the party said in a statement.

The facility appeared to be an easy target. Police and witnesses said the gunmen, who they claimed numbered about 80, had closed off streets surrounding the ministry. Four guards put up no resistance and were unharmed, police spokesman Maj. Mahir Hamad said.

Makki said the gunmen claimed to be helping the government's anti-corruption body check on security ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

“It was a quick operation. It took about 10 to 15 minutes,” Theyab told parliament of the mass abduction. “It was a four-story building and the gunmen went to the four stories.” He said the armed men had at least 20 vehicles.

A female professor who was visiting the ministry at the time of the attacks said the gunmen, some of them masked, donned blue camouflage uniforms of the type worn by police commandos. Illegal groups, including Shiite militias who have widely infiltrated the police force, are known to wear stolen or fake police and army uniforms.

The abductions follow a series of attacks on Iraqi academics that has prompted thousands of professors and researchers to flee to neighboring countries.

Recent weeks have seen a university dean and prominent Sunni geologist murdered, bringing the death toll among educators to at least 155 since the war began. The academics apparently were singled out for their relatively high public stature, vulnerability and views on controversial issues in a climate of deepening Islamic fundamentalism.

After Tuesday's attack, Theyab ordered university classes suspended, complaining that the government had ignored his calls for greater security. He later rescinded the order when the Interior and Defense ministries promised increased patrols.

[trueprogress]

Kallum - Was WWII worth the effort ?
Is any war worth the effort ?
Are all wars bad, even if innocent people are saved ?
Is it OK that Iran gets nuclear weapons ?
IS our culture better than the Taliban ?

[trueprogress]

BARBARIANS AT OUR GATES

What barabarians we are dealing with !
When we took over in Germany, we did not have German's killing innocent Germans just to cause chaos. Nor in Japan. What kind of people do these things ? EVIL. Why surprised ?
The answer is, that our media has been so "even handed"
for so long with the Palest and Israeli conflicts, otherwise we would have known of the atrocities and targeting of innocent people, women and children that this bully culture enjoys. Do you know what "honor killings" are. Had our (stupid) college professors not taught such multicultural blater, and "we can't judge, generalize" other cultures, perhaps we would have had clear understanding of the Arabs/Muslims intolerance. Even now the academics are silent. As are "good Muslims" everywhere when people's heads are caught off.
We are in WWIII. We had better start fighting back with everything we have like we mean it. They are.

[gramto7]

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace" Thomas Paine

I agree with WVopfor81 in this quote he posted. Unfortunately, I believe that Duhbya has started something that will be continuing until my grandchildren are grown. I don't think, or at least I sincerely hope, that our troops are not still in Iraq until then. However, the infighting that has come about because Saddam is no longer in power will go on for decades. The people of Iraq and, indeed, the entire region will remember GW Bush as the terrorist he is.

[wvopfor81]

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace" Thomas Paine

duh finish the Job

[themooniac]

Oh, and one more thing. My guess would be that the police uniforms used in this mass kidnapping were probably paid for with american tax dollars.

[themooniac]

If the guy in the above photo would shave off the ends of his moustache he'd look exactly like Adolf Hitler - check it out! Anyway, whether you want the troops to leave now or later one things cartain - these folks will be killing each other long after the U.S. makes it's exit. The Shi'ites and the Sunni's deserve each other. They can kill more Iraqi's than the coalition anyday. Sad isn't it??

[gayathiest]

How does any of this banter amongst all of you relate to the story?
What has been reported is simply another confirmation that Iraq is falling deeper and deeper into anarchy. Civil war will follow.

This is a region of the world where murderous violence has been the norm for thousands of years. The only "peace" that has ever been held has been due to an iron fisted dictator. Saddam was a pretty good one as they go.

Reagan thought so when he gave Saddam money, weapons, secret forces training and chemical weapons technology to fight Iran. Saddam didn't change, we did.

[radiob-2009]

Unfortunately throughout the world there are extremist be it religon,political,monetary control or just complete power over nations and individuals.This seems to be the case in Iraq where theological differnecense is splitting the country in part.The goverment particularily Al malki is reluctant at best to address the needs of his fellow countymen.He has had ample time to disarm the militias and yet has done nothing.I have been saying for months that the goverment,military and police have been cooperating with the insurgents,miliitas and terrorist.It now appears undeniable.The question remains for the US as how to disband and imprison such individuals.It is a political tightrope, if we are seen to be regulating who is in power then we place our soldiers at greater risk.The Iraqi goverment needs a independent leader that can bring about the necessary change but has of yet to produce one.It is from within Iraq that can bring about change and stability until then we are stuck in this mindless quagmire of civil war.

[cbgb31]

"And yes there are some individuals here whom so happen to be white that feel a sense of entitlement, at the expense of others, of which Bush and others fit very neatly into this category." kailumugo

Would those "some individuals here" include any Democrats. Maybe we should check ALL members of congress to see if they are white and priveledged. And if there are many...then what?

[kailumego1]

Personally, I understand where BlondMadison is coming from, yes, there are individuals still left whom are racists, and you don't have to be of a different nationally to acknowledge this fact. Just become one who is willing to come out of denial.

And yes there are some individuals here whom so happen to be white that feel a sense of entitlement, at the expense of others, of which Bush and others fit very neatly into this category.

Does that mean other ethnic groups don%u2019t possess similar qualities, no, and that%u2019s the real problem.

Moreover, does this mean all whites possess this malignant, grandiose, maladaptive behavior, no, there are decent whites, blacks, Latinos, Asians, Arabs, Iranians, etc.

The problem that exist %u201Cworldwide%u201D there are those whom have placed themselves centuries above others and feel only their opinions, beliefs, indoctrinations are correct.

WRONG!!!!

Likewise, there are those whom have elected themselves as pontificator and dictator over international affairs, thereby usurping power over leaders from other sovereign countries.

And have the opinionated audacity to reference individuals whom have dissimilar beliefs as amoral, primitive, and hedonistic.