Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Education Ministry says some abductees released
Security, Politics
The Higher Education Ministry said Wednesday that "about 40" people abducted from its offices had been released. No official was able to say how many were still held captive. Government ministries have given wildly varying figures on the number of kidnap victims in the assault in central Baghdad Tuesday, with reports ranging from a high of about 150 to a low of 40 to 50. "The (Higher Education) ministry confirms the release of a group of employees, guards, and visitors who were kidnapped yesterday. The information available to the ministry indicates that the number of the people released as of Wednesday morning is about 40. There is another group that is still held," the ministry said in a statement. However, an aide quoted by CNN said fewer than 100 were kidnapped, and 16 had been freed, most of them Shiites.
Al-Jazeera, the Arabic-language network, quoted Maha Abdullah, a woman described as a sister of one of the captives, as saying he and at least 10 other people remained in custody. "The government's news that most of them were released is false," Abdullah said. Al Furat, a Shi'ite-controlled TV station, said 25 hostages were still missing. Tareq Hassan said he had not heard from his brother Jabar since he was seized from his office. He said other relatives were in the same position: "I don't know if he's alive or dead." But amid conflicting reports of how many were seized in the first place, employees' families said at least several of their relatives were still missing.
Iraq's interior minister ordered the arrest and interrogation of several high-ranking police officers over their handling of security in the Baghdad area where scores of people were kidnapped from a government research institute Tuesday. Facing discipline are the police brigade commander in charge of the area, the police chief of Karrada -- where the kidnappings took place -- and a number of police officers. However, they are not suspects in the actual kidnappings.
"What happened was not terrorism, rather it was due to dispute and conflict between militias from one side or another," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in televised remarks. Under pressure from Washington to disband such groups, Maliki has insisted the main threat to Iraq's security comes from minority Sunni Arab insurgents and says he will deal with militias loyal to his Shi'ite Islamist allies in his own time. In a speech at Baghdad University, apparently timed to allay academics' fears for their security, Maliki said universities would remain open and should be free of sectarian influence.
COMMENT: It appears the politicians are trying to downplay the scale of the incident and show some disciplinary action. It is likely Shias were released, it is also likely Sunnis will be killed. By quoting lower numbers, it will seem everyone has been released. COMMENT ENDS.
