Eighteen Turkish construction workers were kidnapped by a group of armed men in military dress from the sports stadium they were building in Baghdad at around 3:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Turkish officials claim it appears to have been a targeted attack, perhaps in retaliation for Turkey's decision to join U.S.-led airstrikes against ISIS in Syria, but no group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.
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The workers, on site in a Baghdad suburb to build a 30,000 capacity stadium with room for practice fields and a hotel, were sleeping in caravans when the gunmen stormed in driving black SUVs. Tanju Bilgic, spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry, said that "that those kidnapped included 14 labourers, three engineers and an accountant."ISIS usually takes responsibility for attacks in and around Baghdad. But the BBC notes that Shia militias control the Sadr City area and have been involved in an influx of abductions in the area."People dressed in military uniforms broke down the door at 3 a.m. and abducted all these people," said Ugur Dogan, chief executive of Nurol Holding, which owns the construction firm. …
Two police sources said the gunmen had arrived in a convoy of black sports utility vehicles.