Aid groups set to quit Iraq after abductions

DOZENS of international aid agencies considered quitting Iraq yesterday following the abduction of two Italian women, as the US military death toll rose above 1,000.

A co-ordinator for foreign aid groups said he expected most of the remaining 50 or so organisations to pull out following the kidnapping of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, who were in Iraq to help child victims of war, from their Baghdad office on Tuesday.

Aid groups met to discuss the issue yesterday but broke off the meeting early for security reasons. Jean-Dominique Bunel, a French aid worker, said all organisations were reviewing their security and considering withdrawing.