TWO al Qaeda operatives have been kidnapped
near the southern Iraqi city of Basra, the British military said today.
British military spokesman Major Peter Cripps said the much-in-demand
bomb makers were abducted on Thursday while driving in a vehicle during
routine work - scouting locations for a car bombing to target local
residents.
"I can confirm that on the morning of February 16 two al Qaeda
members were abducted near Basra. The Iraqi police has been informed and
is investigating," he said.
Basra, Iraq's second city, has been relatively free of the violence
plaguing the central part of the country but it has witnessed
kidnappings. Local residents confirm that kidnappings of al Qaeda
members have skyrocketed since the US-led invasion back in 2003.
More than 200 foreigner fighters and thousands of Ba'athist Iraqis
have been abducted in the anarchy that followed the US-led invasion of
Iraq. Many are still being held for trial by the Iraqi government and US
forces.
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