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Length: 1:44
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: We begin
this morning in Iraq. Some breaking news there. Up to
150 people have been kidnapped from a research
institute in Baghdad by gunmen who were apparently
wearing police uniforms. Let's get right to CNN's
Michael Ware. He's live for us in Baghdad this
morning.
Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning,
Soledad.
We've just seen Iraq's Minister of Higher Education
stand up in parliament, nationally televised, and
outline what must be one of the most breathtaking
insurgent or militia operations that we've seen for
some time. According to the minister, approximately
four hours ago, 20 carloads containing as many as 80
gunmen in Iraqi security force uniforms surrounded a
research institute here in the center of the capital
of Baghdad. These 80 men, on the pretense of coming
in on an official mission, according to one report
even claiming they had the American ambassador with
them, entered the four-story building, sealing it and
the streets around it off, going through the
building, segregating women from men.
They then took between 100 and 150 men hostage and
took them away with them, leaving the women behind,
corralled in a locked room. And that's the latest. As
a result, the Minister of Higher Education says that
he's now been left with no choice but to close all
universities. He's not prepared, he says, to see more
professors killed. So he's made official what has
been a defacto closure of universities. Since
semester opened, students, nor professors, have not
been attending
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware for us in Baghdad this
morning with that breaking news.
Thank you, Michael.
Miles.
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SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Let's
get right to that developing story out of Baghdad;
150 people, as many as 150 people have been kidnapped
from a research institute in Baghdad, by gunman who
were apparently wearing police uniforms. Let's get
right to CNN's Michael Ware, he is live for us in
Baghdad.
Michael, good morning.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING:
Good morning, Soledad.
Yes, we've just seen the Iraqi Minister for Higher
Education in a nationally televised address to
parliament, outline what appears to be a mass
kidnapping at an Iraqi Institute for Higher Education
just five hours ago.
Now, according to what the minister told Parliament,
as many as 80 gunmen wearing Iraqi security forces
uniforms showed up at the institute here in the heart
of the capital, Baghdad, in more than 20 cars. They
sealed off streets and the complex.
Then they entered the four-story building. It sounds
like they went through it fairly systematically,
Soledad, segregating the men from the women. They
corralled the women and left them behind in a locked
room. As they left, with what the minister says is
between 100 and 150 hostages. Now, local police put
that number at somewhat lower.
Nonetheless, it is clear that a mass kidnapping from
an Iraqi Institute of Higher Education has taken
place here. If the facts stand, this could be one of
the most breathtaking insurgent or militia operations
of recent times, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Is there any sense of why? It looks like
this is a group that grants scholarships to Iraqi
professors and students who want to study abroad. But
why kidnap so many, in such an obviously coordinated
and organized kind of procedure?
WARE: Well, the grabbing itself is a statement alone,
to be able to assemble that many men, to be able to
coordinate an operation with so many moving parts. I
mean, just think of the extraction, what it would
require to remove even 100 men from a site, under
siege, as you hold them hostage. The sheer logistics
of this operation are a bold statement in themselves.
Otherwise, attacking the universities, attacking the
intelligentsia, both of today and tomorrow, the
students, has been a feature of the ongoing violence
here in Iraq, almost since the beginning. We've seen
that reach fever pitch in the wake of what we now see
as a civil war. There has been a massive brain drain
from this country as professors and students have
fled, and have not been attending classes since
semester began, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, with actions like that, one can
completely understand it. Michael Ware for us this
morning in Baghdad. Thank you, Michael.
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Length: 2:40
MILES O'BRIEN: More on
that developing story.
Let's get right to Michael Ware in Baghdad. We'll ask
him about the generals and potential change in
strategy in Iraq in just a moment. But first,
Michael, bring us up to date on this brazen
kidnapping that we saw unfold today.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's
safe to say, Miles, that the capital, Baghdad, is
reeling from this morning's developments.
What we saw a little over an hour ago is the Minister
for Higher Education, in a nationally televised
address to parliament, confirm that about six hours
ago, approximately 10:00 a.m. local time, as many as
80 armed men in government uniforms driving more than
20 vehicles surrounded not just this government
higher education facility, essentially a research
institute, but also sealed off the streets around it.
They then went in and had 20 minutes to
systematically move through the four-story building,
corralling women into one locked room and then
physically taking away between what the minister said
was 100 to 150 hostages.
Now, local police put the number somewhat lower. But
nonetheless, this massive operation which required
huge coordination took place in broad daylight in the
heart of the capital. What does this say about this
Iraqi government, about this American partner, during
a period of American strategic limbo -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: That's the big question. That takes us
back to what we were just talking about with Barbara
Starr there.
If the U.S. is telling the prime minister, Maliki,
there, you have to step up to the plate, it doesn't
appear that the Iraqi government is anywhere close to
being capable. Where were the authorities this
morning?
WARE: Well, theoretically, the authorities protect
this institution like they protect all others. And
the area of Baghdad where this institution happens to
be located is one of the most protected areas outside
the Green Zone.
There's a number of ministers, there's the residence
of the president, there's all sorts of security
organizations within this area. So the generals --
the American generals are wrong. There's not a lack
of political will on the part of this government to
attack the militias. This government are the
militias, and their political will is strong. It's
just that it does not match American interests.
So, at this stage, we don't know if this was a
militia or insurgent operation, but it's one of the
most stunning and breathtaking we've seen for some
time -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad.
Thank you -- Soledad.