14 kidnapped civilians freed near Amara

MISSAN / IraqiNews.com: Police forces freed 14 civilians who had been taken hostage by unidentified gunmen southwest of the city of al-Amara on Saturday, a local security source said. “An armed group had earlier on Saturday (Sept. 25) kidnapped a bus heading from Baghdad to Basra with 14 passengers on board,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The Missan police, tipped off on the kidnapping operation, tracked down the culprits at the area of al-Ezz River, (65 km) southwest of Amara. After an exchange of fire with the gunmen, who managed to escape, the kidnapped passengers were free,” he explained. The source did not give further details. AmR (P) 1