Scores of workers abducted north of Baghdad

Scores of workers were abducted today as they left work at an industrial plant north of Baghdad, police said.

The number of workers was unclear, but police Lt. Thaer Mahmoud said they filled up a bus and a minivan. They were taken at the al-Nasr General Complex in Taji, 12 miles north of Baghdad.

Under Saddam Hussein, the complex was a military plant.

No other details were immediately available.

It was the most recent case involving mass abductions.

On June 6, gunmen in police uniforms raided a business district in central Baghdad, seizing 50 people, including travellers, merchants and vendors selling tea and sandwiches. Both Shiites and Sunnis work in the area.

The Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry, which oversees police, denied its forces were behind the kidnappings.

Suspicion fell on militias, which are believed to have infiltrated police forces and have killed hundreds in sectarian violence, personal vendettas and kidnappings for ransom.

It was unclear what became of the victims.