Iraq views kidnappers of Turkish workers as ‘terrorists’

BAGHDAD – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

The kidnappers of 18 Turkish workers will be treated as terrorists, Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Ibadi has said.

“Today [Sept. 2], I gave instructions for those involved in the kidnapping event in Baghdad to be treated as terrorists,” al-Ibadi said in a written statement.

Some 18 Turkish workers and engineers were kidnapped on Sept. 2 by masked men in military and police uniforms from a sports stadium construction site in the Iraqi capital’s Sadr City district.

Meanwhile, Sad el-Matlabi, a member of the security commission of Baghdad’s provincial council, told Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu Agency that security footage near the construction site was being investigated.

Prime Minister Ibadi vowed to “continue reforms in his fight against corruption,” claiming that a campaign was being conducted “overthrow the offices of the country.”

He stressed that the reforms did not target any particular individuals and he had been “against the legitimization of corruption” since his years as a deputy.