Qatar contacts Iraqi government regarding kidnap victims

The government of Qatar said on Wednesday evening that it has been in contact with its Iraqi counterpart following the kidnapping of a number of its nationals who were in southern Iraq on a fishing trip, Anadolu has reported. Earlier on Wednesday, Iraqi media published the news of the Qataris being kidnapped, albeit with conflicting reports about the number of those abducted, estimated at between 16 and 26 people.

In a statement published by the official news agency, the foreign ministry in Doha said that it had made contact with the Iraqi government and the competent authorities at the highest political and security levels. The ministry stressed that its citizens had entered Iraq with official permission from the Interior Ministry in Baghdad and in coordination with the Iraqi Embassy in Doha.

Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister, Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Rumaihi, has been assigned to work closely with the Iraqis on the issue, along with Zayed Bin Saeed El-Khayarain, Qatar’s Ambassador to Baghdad. The safety and well-being of the victims is of prime concern.

No information has been released about the number or identity of those who have been kidnapped.