Baghdad: Woman journalist abducted from home

The journalist is considered a critic of the corruption in the country and recently wrote an article which dwelt on the consequences of the proliferation of armed groups outside the law.

Baghdad, Dec 27: Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a female journalist and activist from her house in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said on Tuesday. The incident occurred late on Monday night when masked armed men broke into the house of Afrah Shawqi in Saidiya district and abducted her, Xinhua news agency quoted a source as saying.

The gunmen also stole Shawqi's personal jewels and her car, the source said. The journalist is considered a critic of the corruption in the country and recently wrote an article which dwelt on the consequences of the proliferation of armed groups outside the law.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the security forces to investigate the kidnapping and to "exert the utmost effort to save her life and to chase anyone proved involved in the crime", the Prime Minister's Office said on Tuesday. Iraq is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, who have been frequently targeted since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

IANS