Oil company personnel kidnapped in Kirkuk

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Four civilians, including three oil company personnel, on Wednesday were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in southwestern Kirkuk, according to a local police chief. “This afternoon, unknown gunmen kidnapped four civilians, including three employees from the North Oil Company, while they were heading home in al-Rashad neighborhood (35 km southwest of Kirkuk city),” Brig. Sarhad Qadir told IraqiNews.com news agency. Investigations are currently underway to reveal the identity of the kidnappers, the official noted, providing no further details. Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs, lies 250 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS (P) 1