Kidnaps blow to rebuilding efforts

· Countries tell workers to leave
· Forty people now held hostage

The process of trying to rebuild the shattered Iraqi infrastructure took another turn for the worse yesterday as several governments urged their citizens to leave the country immediately in reaction to the spate of kidnappings and growing instability in the country.

Russia, France and the Czech Republic advised their nationals to get out, with authorities in Moscow even preparing to lay on specially chartered state planes to help with the repatriation - despite the release of eight employees of a Russian engineering firm taken hostage in Baghdad on Monday. Several Russian companies immediately said they would evacuate their staff.

Australia, a key member of the US-led "coalition of the willing", yesterday issued a travel warning urging its citizens not to go to Iraq and telling those already there who were worried about their security to leave.

The latest withdrawals will be a blow to the US authorities trying to rebuild the infrastructure of Iraq, ravaged by years of neglect and war.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1191329,00.html