Gunmen Abduct 26 Qataris in Iraq's Southern Desert

Local media reported on Wednesday that a group of unidentified men abducted 26 Qatari nationals who were on a hunting trip in Muthanna province.

Governor Falih Abdul Hassan Sukar was quoted by the NINA news agency as saying that armed men on board 25 four-wheel drive vehicles stormed a camp of Qatari hunters in the Smawa desert late Tuesday night and kidnapped 25 Qatari citizens.

The Qataris crossed the Iraqi-Saudi border to the Smawa desert. Sukar said they have visas and authorization from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, but they did not notify provincial officials who previously rejected their presence in the area because security forces cannot ensure the safety of visitors in the vast desert.

Details about the abduction remain unknown, but an investigation has been ordered into the incident and a unit from the provincial police was mobilized for a search operation.

The deserts and valleys of Basra, Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces in southern Iraq have become popular hunting grounds, attracting tourists from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 
[ ubalert.com]
16/12/15
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