Five Britons kidnapped in Iraq

The British foreign office confirms the abduction of five Britons in Baghdad.

The British foreign office has confirmed the abduction of five Britons in Baghdad.

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"We can confirm that a group of five British nationals were abducted in an incident at the finance ministry in central Baghdad," said a spokeswoman for foreign ministry on Tuesday.

"Officials from the British embassy in Baghdad are in urgent contact with the Iraqi authorities to establish the facts and to try to secure a swift resolution," she said.

According to the Sky News, the group was kidnapped by up to 40 gunmen, some dressed in police uniforms, from the finance ministry office, which is outside the protected Green Zone in Baghdad.

And among these, four were security workers from the Garda World Security Corporation, while the fifth was a client they were protecting.

On Tuesday afternoon, the British government's emergency response committee, Cobra, also met to discuss the incident.