BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 15, 2006
Violence, Confusion Reign In Baghdad
Various Iraqi Officials Give Conflicting Reports On Kidnapping As Blast Kills 11
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Play CBS Video Video Brazen Kidnapping In Baghdad Dozens of people were kidnapped at an Iraqi Education Ministry building. As Elizabeth Palmer reports, the kidnappings raise new questions about the government's commitment to reining in militias.
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Video Academia Under Attack In Iraq Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress, talks with Katie Couric about the kidnapping at Iraq's Higher Education Ministry and rising levels of violence in the country.
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Video Mass Kidnapping In Iraq Armed men stormed a government research facility and kidnapped up to 150 people in Iraq. Elizabeth Palmer reports from Baghdad.
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A US Marine stands as local residents wait to have a Fallujah resident badge issued at coalition badging office in the restive city of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006. (AP Photo)
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Smoke rises from the site of a car bomb in Baghdad, Nov. 15, 2006. (AFP/Getty Images/Sabah Arar)
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Iraqi police commandos secure the site where a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad Nov. 15, 2006. (AFP/Getty Images/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
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Iraqi university students sit at the al-Mustansiriyah University campus in Baghdad, Nov. 15, 2006. (AFP/Getty Images/Sabah Arar)
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Iraqi security officials inspect the reception area at the scientific research institute in Baghdad on Nov. 14, 2006. (AP Photo)
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Dozens of people were taken Tuesday from the central Baghdad office that handles academic grants and exchanges, with the men handcuffed and loaded aboard about 20 pickup trucks by gunmen dressed in the uniforms of Interior Ministry commandos.
"Most of the hostages were freed, but that is not enough for us. We will chase those who did this ugly criminal act," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said, as he met professors and students at Baghdad University to show of support for the country's educational institutions. "We regret what happened yesterday. The government's reaction was strong."
Government ministries have given wildly varying figures on the number of kidnap victims in the assault, with reports ranging from a high of about 150 to a low of 40 to 50.
Ministry spokesman Basil al-Khatib said 40 employees were released Tuesday and another 32 were freed Wednesday.
Higher Education Minister Abed Theyab said he had suspended participation in the government until all the kidnap victims were released.
Some Iraqis said the kidnappers were dressed in new digitally marked uniforms for the Interior Ministry forces that are made in the United States. But U.S. Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, which took control of security operations in Baghdad on Wednesday from the 4th Infantry Division, denied that.
"We don't know what uniforms they had on. ... We are virtually certain they are not those uniforms. Those are hard to get hold of, as they should be. We do not believe they were those new digital uniforms," Fil said.
Such uniforms are designed to overcome the persistent problem in Iraq of militia and death squad members using stolen or counterfeit Interior Ministry uniforms to gain access to commit crimes and killings.
In other developments:
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- lyfizgood, you sound like Oneness, apostolic.
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- What do you think?
Should we do what Murtha is saying we should do? He is saying we should:
1. Move our troops out of the cities to the borders of the country.
2. Control the borders of the country and the air. Don't let any weapons in or out.
3. Let Iraq put itself back together with the aid and support of the US while we stay out of harms way and stop giving the militants a reason to fight. If the militants want to fight us they will have to come out and get us, away from civilians!
Sounds good to me. - Reply to this comment
- grumpas-
That only goes to show you that they really did not "put on Christ". Putting on Christ is impossible to do unless you are full of the Holy Ghost (God's Spirit). So many call themselves Christian, but only accept what they want to out of the Bible, rather than believe in and follow the whole thing. God gives us free will, to serve Him or not, although there are ultimately consequences for not doing so. But that is our choice. Likewise, a real Christian will not force his/her religion on anyone, but does have the responsibility to bring the Truth to others in the form of wittnessing and being a living example. Please note that I am talking about REAL Christians, not those who just call themselves such. As for Mulims worshipping the same god as Christians, it is not true. What is true is that they are monotheistic, like Jews and real Christians(not believing in multiple gods as some do). However, like non-Christian Jews, they do not believe in Jesus as the Savior. What makes this a big difference is that real Christians know that Jesus is God in the flesh, who walked among us for the purpose of taking on all man's sin and paying the required price for sin as dictated in His Law. Peace be to you, in Jesus' name. - Reply to this comment
- The issue isn't how many people have been released by the kidnappers; but, how many of the kidnappers have been arrested.
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- What ever made Georgie think this bunch would greet him with flowers? That he was freeing them from a cruel dictator so they could ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after? He was single handedly going to create a middle eastern democracy has to be one for the book of delusions of the century! Muslims are like Christian's they have fought for centuries amoung themselves! They fight over silly things like dogma! I remember when I was a child! There were 6 Baptist Churches in the dinky town I lived in! They were all derived from one base Church that split that many times over ideology! Everytime they split there were a lot of hard feelings left behind! Admittedly no one got killed over the differences of opinion! The point is everyone Muslim and Christian alike are supposed to believe in the same entity! But, for some reason there is never harmony when religion get's involved in things!
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- al-Malickme or whatever his name is, is one of the biggest problems. This Shiite leader is in bed with al-Sadr and the rest of those whacked Stone Age "clerics" (i.e. terrorists) promoting anti-American violence.
He needs to be removed. American soldiers and Marines should withdraw to their bases and let those tribal imbeciles murder each other to their hearts' content.
Selah - Reply to this comment
- That sh*thole of a country doesn't deserve our young men and women sacrificing life and limb for those people. They are tribal and will be killing one another long after we're gone. So GET OUT NOW!!!!!!! If Halliburton and the rest of those contractors want to stay, let them raise their own army. The time has come.
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