Up to 26 Qatari hunters abducted in southern Iraq
100 gunmen raid camp near Samawah; no immediate claim of responsibility
An Iraqi official said gunmen abducted up to 26 Qatari hunters in southern Iraq.
Ahmed Manfi, a member of the Samawah provincial council, told The Associated Press that the gunmen raided the hunters’ camp in a remote desert area at dawn Wednesday, snatching between 19 and 26 Qataris.
Manfi added that two Iraqi intelligence officers were also abducted, but were later released.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Samawah is located on the Euphrates River, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) southeast of Baghdad.
Hunters from Gulf states, mainly Qatar, often visit Iraq’s western and southern desert areas for hunting and purchasing falcons. Iraqi authorities approve the expeditions and provide protective forces.
“We are talking about at least 100 gunmen armed with light and medium weapons broke into the Qatari camp and abducted the hunters at around 3 am local time on Wednesday,” a police colonel said, according to The Telegraph.