(KUNA) -- Unknown militants kidnapped 14 students on Tuesday who had been re-sitting their final exams in the area of Shula, said a source at the Armed Forces Command. The source told KUNA that details of the kidnapping would be announced in a statement later today.Meanwhile, a multi-national forces statement Tuesday reported that US warplanes struck houses used by militants in western Al-Habbaniya city, 80 km to the west of Baghdad. The statement did not report whether the operation was targeting senior officials of Al-Qaeda organization. The militants opened fire and the coalition forces fired back, it was said. A helicopter carrying a medical team is also reported to have come under hostile fire while evacuating a person injured in the confrontations but it is reported the evacuation succeded. It was not reported whether military operations were still ongoing in the region.
Baghdad had also witnessed yesterday the killing of an Iraqi and wounding of 10 civilians and four policemen in a dual bombing targeting two police patrol vehicles near the Ministry of Culture. Three civilians were wounded when an explosive device blew up near their vehicle as they were heading to work in central Baghdad.
In Al-Mousil, four civilians were shot dead when gunmen broke into their house. In other incidents, seven men were killed and 11 others were wounded when gunmen attacked a Shiite shrine late Monday in Baqubah and blew it up, Al-Iraqiya Television which is financed by the Iraqi government said. The militants launched missiles at the coroner's office as it received the victims, Al-Iraqiya added.