Eleven pilgrims travelling to Karbala were abducted from their minibus by armed gunmen. It was the first such incident in the area in almost two years. The pilgrims were on their way to celebrate a Shiite festival prior to the start of Ramadan later this month.
Security continues to be a problem following the transfer of operations from U.S. to Iraqi forces. This article shows that while some U.S. forces have tried to train their counterparts to deal with such incidents, kidnap for ransom continues to plague the country.
And earlier this week, journalist Sean Langan – himself an ex-hostage (in Afghanistan) – wrote about the difficulties of negotiations surrounding British hostages in Iraq.
