(KUNA) -- Unknown gunmen on Wednesday abducted 20 employees of the Sunni Endowment Diwan in the area of Selaikh, northern Baghdad. An Interior Ministry source told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the attack took place while the employees were heading home after work, noting that they were taken to an unknown destination. A source in the diwan, who requested anonymity, said that work has been suspended in all administrations of the diwan until further notice.Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met with Head of the Sunni Endowment Diwan Dr. Ahmad Al-Samarra'e today and asserted the importance of abandoning sectarian conflicts in Iraq, calling on religious leaders to cooperate to end the ongoing bloodshed. Al-Samarra'e expressed appreciation for the efforts of Talabani to bring together all sides in Iraq, expressing commitment for Talabani's call to end sectarian violence and spread peace and security in Iraq.
In Kirkuk, the Iraqi Police said that it found the dead body of an Iraqi civilian named Dalshad Shakor Shereif nearby Shawan area in the northern parts of Kirkuk city. The source added that Iraqi soldier Khalid Ali was shot and wounded by a sniper in Huwaijah district and was transported to hospital for treatment.