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Child
freed after arrest of two alleged members of a
kidnapping cell.
Security forces in the Kurdish town of Kalar have
arrested two members of what they believe to be a
criminal ring that has been involved in kidnapping
children and contractors in Iraq.
Dilshad Bander Ali, a Kurd from Falluja, and Meki
Jabir, an Arab from Baghdad, were found several days
ago at Ali's father's home in Kalar along with a
missing two-year-old child.
Ali's father and brother were also arrested when
police swooped in after receiving a tip off from
neighbours. All are currently in police custody and
being questioned.
Police say the young boy, who has now been returned
to his mother, was kidnapped in Baghdad on March 24
then moved from the capital to Kalar on July 1.
About 10,000 US dollars of the 40,000 dollars
demanded in ransom had been paid so far, said
police.
As this edition of ICR went to press, IWPR reporters
were unable to speak to the four detained men or
members of their family.
Although the international media has focused on the
kidnapping of foreigners, most recently of diplomats
in Iraq, ordinary Iraqis are abducted on a near
daily basis by criminal gangs taking advantage of
the lawlessness and chaos in the country.
Colonel Nawshirwan Ahmed, security chief for Kalar,
located about 150 kilometres south of Sulaimaniyah,
claimed the two men arrested are followers of Sheikh
Abdullah al-Janabi, the leading Sunni cleric in
Falluja who has supported the insurgency but
denounced those who target innocent Iraqis.
Judge Nizar Hasan, a senior legal official in Kalar,
said a phone book was found during a search of the
home that contained contact information for
suspected insurgents. Kalar authorities said they
would work with security forces in other parts of
the country to investigate the information contained
in the book and analyse its significance.
Ahmed said the authorities believe Ali and Jabir are
members of a group of ten alleged kidnappers who
have carried out dozens of abductions. He declined
to name the group but said the remaining members
live in Baghdad.
Since the arrests, the Kalar authorities have
stepped up security in the area, setting up two
checkpoints on the outskirts of the town. Families
entering Kalar must fill out information sheets with
their personal details and provide a copy of their
national identification card.
"We are doing this to protect those who live here
and arrest those who come to instigate disorder,"
said Ahmed.
Wirya Hama Tahir is an IWPR trainee in Sulaimaniyah.
www.iwpr.net
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