BREAKING NEWS* Gunmen storm private security office.

[jaybird13]

Gunmen in camouflage uniforms storm private security company offices in Baghdad and kidnap dozens of employees, news agencies report.

cnn.com

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_KIDNAPPING?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-03-08-09-50-08

[saigonsmuggler]

hopefully they were the Iraqi military and not the insurgents... or are they same? :(

That's brazen!

[Johnny_H02]

Hopefully the least amount of people get killed as possible.

( excluding the gumnen themselves of course )

[Scottie]

Hopefully the least amount of people get killed as possible.

( excluding the gumnen themselves of course )

hopefully none..

[dacanadianbomb]

I just checked cnn.com and I see no reference at all to this.
Could you provide the link for this?


OK I found a link myself
http://today.*******.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-03-08T145116Z_01_KAR851308_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-FIRM.xml

Not good.Damned if you shoot them , cus they might be real, and damned if you let them in,cus they might be insurgents.
Iraqi's dont control their uniforms very well from what I have read in the past.
This will prolly cause an influx of offices into the GZ if at all possible.

Would also be interesting to know whether perimeter guards were LN's or expats.
Also which company it was.

[Johnny_H02]

hopefully none..

I would like that too Scottie, but lets be realistic here.

[joshfox0]

Apparently the gunman are holding up to 50 people hostage :-( lets hope this turns out ok folks.

[Ghostwolf]

Is this office located inside the Green Zone?

[American Patriot]

East-central baghdad


BAGHDAD (*******) - Gunmen wearing the uniform of Iraqi police commandos seized dozens of employees from the offices of a security company in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, police sources said.

Two sources said about 50 people were taken. They said that the gunmen, who arrived in at least 10 vehicles, broke into the headquarters compound of the firm in the Zayouna district. One Interior Ministry source said he was unaware of any official police operation in the area.

(Baghdad newsroom)

[seruriermarshal]

Gunmen Kidnap Up to 50 Workers in Baghdad

3 minutes ago



BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen in camouflage uniforms stormed the offices of a private security company Wednesday and kidnapped as many as 50 employees, police reported.

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The attackers hit the al-Rawafid Security Co., a private Iraqi-owned business, at 4:30 p.m. and forced the workers into seven vehicles, including several white SUVs, said Interior Ministry Maj. Felah Al-Mohammedawi.

The company is located in the mixed Sunni-Shiite Zayouna neighborhood in eastern Baghdad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060308/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_kidnapping;_ylt=AllYu1JRwWCnX3hQ6N5WElQLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

[RandallH1989]

My question is, who was standing fire watch? Why weren't they alerted and able to put up resistance?

[Damian]

[quote]Apparently the gunman are holding up to 50 people hostage lets hope this turns out ok folks

I don't think it's gonna happen considering that we can't bargain with these bastards...

[saigonsmuggler]

This is getting like Caucasus region in Russia... large kidnappings.

[Argyll]

My question is, who was standing fire watch? Why weren't they alerted and able to put up resistance?

Fake ID's....or Proxy hostages(families) of the gate guards.....gunmen will kidnap families and make demands like let us in or we'll behead your kids....guess what normally happens?

To take 50 (armed?) men is no mean feat,this could be the spectacular AQ have been talking about

[usa320]

could be worse. At least they know where the hostages are...unlike past kidnappings.

[Lupin]

Fake ID's....or Proxy hostages(families) of the gate guards.....gunmen will kidnap families and make demands like let us in or we'll behead your kids....guess what normally happens?

To take 50 (armed?) men is no mean feat,this could be the spectacular AQ have been talking about

x2 Argyll......

[panzerjager]

Fake ID's....or Proxy hostages(families) of the gate guards.....gunmen will kidnap families and make demands like let us in or we'll behead your kids....guess what normally happens?

To take 50 (armed?) men is no mean feat,this could be the spectacular AQ have been talking about

Taking 50 security guards hostage is a spectacular? I assume gas attacks on the green zone or blowing up a building would be more along those lines.

[dacanadianbomb]

Not really. Think moving ten SUV's to target, overrun with out firing a shot it would seem, take 50 hostages, and then evac again with your hostages, without anyones radar going off and them beeing there in time to at least interdict a part of the vehicles.

Where to separate them,hide, them cover your traces, the logistics of taking 50 hostages is huge. And they prolly ended up with more than they had expected.

[Argyll]

"the words I used were "Could be"

[sp2c]

Not really. Think moving ten SUV's to target, overrun with out firing a shot it would seem, take 50 hostages, and then evac again with your hostages, without anyones radar going off and them beeing there in time to at least interdict a part of the vehicles.

Where to separate them,hide, them cover your traces, the logistics of taking 50 hostages is huge. And they prolly ended up with more than they had expected.
unless they just want to kill them

[saigonsmuggler]

Taking 50 security guards hostage is a spectacular? I assume gas attacks on the green zone or blowing up a building would be more along those lines.
taking 50 armed guys hostage is no small feat either.

[Digital Marine]

Ouch:| i hope everyone will be OK:-(

[Argyll]

The PSC involved had their licence to operate revoked last year,on suspicions it was a front to the Militia......the fact that 50 men never put up a fight suggests there is a bit more to this than is being reported,as in any mass kidnapping..........unfortunately it does not bode well

[Sgt.Axeman1224]

The PSC involved had their licence to operate revoked last year,on suspicions it was a front to the Militia......the fact that 50 men never put up a fight suggests there is a bit more to this than is being reported,as in any mass kidnapping..........unfortunately it does not bode well

that is a very interesting twist. taking 50 armed men without firing a shot is a red flag to me unless it was one hell of an operation.

[Argyll]

I wonder if the Wolf Brigade have been moonlighting?

[Aerosoul]

im a bit lost...so many possible scenarios.

[dacanadianbomb]

Although noone has taken credit for it have they ?
It would be a serious publicity push for AQ to be able to say they can move around at that size unhindered.You know, we are a force to be reckoned with stuff, discredit security in numbers thought.

[Argyll]

Who is to say such a large group using the current guise can't seize BIAP ,or infiltrate into the IZ and wreck havoc there?...........This is alarming to say the least........infact this has raised the heckles on the back of my neck,there is no telling if once you're in a location with a client,that the IP team rolling in,in numbers are not Kosher.......

You don't just turn up at some security teams HQ,and seize 50 of them,without conducting Recce's,Rehersals, and have a serious plan of attack,and pull it off,without firing a single shot unless you have the Military type skills to pull this off...........no claims of responsibility,and no video footage.........I wonder if the Wolf Brigade really have been moonlighting..........there was a strong suspicion that this PSC were acting for the Militia........seizing them all would be something the MOI commandoes would be very capable of doing.....................I don't know,it's all very weird to say the least

[Frogg]

Many of Al-Rawafid employees are former members of Saddam's armed forces.

The company is one of dozens providing protection for businesses and other clients in the violence-plagued country.


What would be the purpose of kidnapping those working for a "private" protection service company? Seems an odd target. I think there is more to this story than we know.

[remo williams]

Argyll,would this wolf brigade be the iraq sf or another psd group?To take 50 armed and well trained men w/o one shot is a feat i'll agree.so i guess that leaves Alot of room for speculation...such as the illusion that they were taken,as opposed to "willfully" leaving.the psd group seems to have a dubious history according to what's been said about them so far.i honestly wouldn't be surprised if just a few of the 50 turn up dead somewhere.possibly those who "weren't in on the plot,"to make things look authentic..But i'll agree this isn't good

[ibstolidude]

sounds like "Los Pepes II, Iraqi style" is playing.