Independent.co.uk Online Edition: Home
* from The Independent & The Independent on Sunday
17 November 2006 07:21
Kidnapped workers 'tortured and killed'
By Kim Sengupta
Published: 17 November 2006
Some of the workers taken from an education department building in
Baghdad by armed men wearing police uniforms were tortured and
killed,
an Iraqi minister said yesterday.
Abed Theyeb, the Minister for Higher Education, insisted that around
150 people, mostly Sunnis, were taken away, making it the largest
mass
kidnapping in the country since the US-led invasion, and many among
the 70 who have since been freed had experienced abuse including
broken limbs.
There had been confusion over the actual number of those abducted on
Tuesday, with accounts varying from 50 to 150.
Mr Theyeb, a Sunni who had been extremely critical of the lack of
security provided for the country's academics - around 160 have been
killed since the war and hundreds of others have fled the country -
declared he was stepping down and suspending co-operation with the
Shia Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki's office until the rest of the
hostages were freed.
The Prime Minister's office maintained, however, that "only a
handful"
were still being held captive, and deniednegligence. But Mr Theyeb
said: " Out of the 150 people taken away around 40 are still
missing.
We are very concerned for their well being. There are reports that
some of them have been killed. Even a number of those who were freed
were treated very badly, some of them had their legs and hands
broken."
The overwhelmingly Shia members of the Interior Ministry forces have
been repeatedly accused of carrying out sectarian attacks on the
Sunni
community. Up to seven police officers were arrested on suspicion of
collusion with the abduction, following the raids in which some of
the
hostages were rescued.
Mr Theyeb called for a public inquiry. He said: "When they attacked
they were wearing police uniforms. They were using police cars, some
of them. We need to find out what happened, this is very important.
I
am stepping down until something is done actively to improve
security,
and there is not just talk."
Basil al-Khatib, a senior official at the Education Ministry, who is
also a Sunni, added: "We have witness accounts from those who were
released of killings and torture. I do not know how many, but I
think
there was a large number."
Meanwhile violence continued across the country with four American
soldiers killed in separate attacks.
Gunmen opened fire in the mixed suburb of Zayouna in Baghdad killing
and injuring a dozen people. Three others were killed in explosions
in
the capital.
American and Iraqi forces announced they had killed nine "
al-Qa'ida-in-Iraq terrorists", including several wearing suicide
vests, at a raid near Yussufiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad in the
"triangle of death".
The organisation's alleged leader, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, claimed in
a
message posted on the internet that its forces were growing in
strength, with 12,000 fighters in Iraq.
* A US Army soldier was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for
conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her
family. Specialist James P. Barker, one of four Fort Campbell
soldiers
accused in the 12 March rape and killings, pleaded guilty on
Wednesday
and agreed to testify against the others to avoid the death penalty.
Some of the workers taken from an education department building in
Baghdad by armed men wearing police uniforms were tortured and
killed,
an Iraqi minister said yesterday.
Abed Theyeb, the Minister for Higher Education, insisted that around
150 people, mostly Sunnis, were taken away, making it the largest
mass
kidnapping in the country since the US-led invasion, and many among
the 70 who have since been freed had experienced abuse including
broken limbs.
There had been confusion over the actual number of those abducted on
Tuesday, with accounts varying from 50 to 150.
Mr Theyeb, a Sunni who had been extremely critical of the lack of
security provided for the country's academics - around 160 have been
killed since the war and hundreds of others have fled the country -
declared he was stepping down and suspending co-operation with the
Shia Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki's office until the rest of the
hostages were freed.
The Prime Minister's office maintained, however, that "only a
handful"
were still being held captive, and deniednegligence. But Mr Theyeb
said: " Out of the 150 people taken away around 40 are still
missing.
We are very concerned for their well being. There are reports that
some of them have been killed. Even a number of those who were freed
were treated very badly, some of them had their legs and hands
broken."
The overwhelmingly Shia members of the Interior Ministry forces have
been repeatedly accused of carrying out sectarian attacks on the
Sunni
community. Up to seven police officers were arrested on suspicion of
collusion with the abduction, following the raids in which some of
the
hostages were rescued.
Mr Theyeb called for a public inquiry. He said: "When they attacked
they were wearing police uniforms. They were using police cars, some
of them. We need to find out what happened, this is very important.
I
am stepping down until something is done actively to improve
security,
and there is not just talk."
Basil al-Khatib, a senior official at the Education Ministry, who is
also a Sunni, added: "We have witness accounts from those who were
released of killings and torture. I do not know how many, but I
think
there was a large number."
Meanwhile violence continued across the country with four American
soldiers killed in separate attacks.
Gunmen opened fire in the mixed suburb of Zayouna in Baghdad killing
and injuring a dozen people. Three others were killed in explosions
in
the capital.
American and Iraqi forces announced they had killed nine "
al-Qa'ida-in-Iraq terrorists", including several wearing suicide
vests, at a raid near Yussufiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad in the
"triangle of death".
The organisation's alleged leader, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, claimed in
a
message posted on the internet that its forces were growing in
strength, with 12,000 fighters in Iraq.
* A US Army soldier was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for
conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her
family. Specialist James P. Barker, one of four Fort Campbell
soldiers
accused in the 12 March rape and killings, pleaded guilty on
Wednesday
and agreed to testify against the others to avoid the death penalty.
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