Basra airport director kidnapped by unknown gunmen
October 10, 2007 7:02 am Basra, Shiite Militiamen in Iraqi Army and Police, IraqBasra airport director kidnapped by unknown gunmen, The Times of India, October 10, 2007
BAGHDAD: The director of the international airport of Iraq’s southern port city of Basra was kidnapped by unknown gunmen outside his home on Tuesday night, a security official said.
Abdul Razak Kassem was abducted when he arrived back from work at his home in a residential area close to the airport, the official said.
There were no immediate further details. British troops pulled out of Basra city on September 2-3 but fears of a Shiite turf war remain and sectarian violence continues.
Some 5,250 British troops are now stationed at Basra airport but Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday that Britain would cut these numbers by more than half to 2,500 from early next year.