By Xinhua,
Baghdad : Unknown gunmen abducted eight civilians in a village in the volatile province of Diyala, an Interior Ministry source said on Saturday.
Dozens of gunmen in their vehicles stormed overnight the village of Um al-Qutin, near the capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, and kidnapped eight people from their houses, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Iraqi security forces rushed to the scene and immediately launched an investigation about the incident, which the source initially accused the al-Qaida militants who are active in the area.
The incident came as U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces are conducting major offensive against extremist Shiite and Sunni militiamen in Diyala which stretches from the eastern edges of Baghdad to the Iranian border.