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Gunmen Kidnap 18 Turkish Workers in Baghdad


Iraqi security forces guard the entrance to a sports complex being built by a Turkish construction company, in the Shiite district of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015.
Iraqi security forces guard the entrance to a sports complex being built by a Turkish construction company, in the Shiite district of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015.

Gunmen wearing military uniforms kidnapped 18 Turkish workers Wednesday in Iraq's capital.

The workers are employed by construction company Nurol Insaat, which is constructing a soccer stadium complex in the mainly Shi'ite Habibya district in northeastern Baghdad.

The gunmen kidnapped the workers around 3 a.m. after knocking down doors and disarming guards.

There was no indication of the identity of the kidnappers or their motive.

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Turkish authorities were in contact with those in Iraq.

Last year, Islamic State militants seized 49 Turkish hostages from Turkey's consulate in Mosul and held them for more than three months before releasing the group. Those hostages included diplomats, soldiers and children.

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