Militia blamed for kidnapping of Britons

TONY JONES: Well the Iraqi Foreign Minister is pointing the finger at the Shiite Mehdi Army over the kidnapping of five Britons in Baghdad yesterday.

The Mehdi Army's spiritual leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, recently withdrew political support from the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

The Foreign Minister says yesterday's well-orchestrated kidnapping operation is an open challenge to the authority of the Government by Mr al-Sadr.

Tom Iggulden reports.

TOM IGGULDEN, REPORTER: US and Iraqi forces are sweeping through Sadr City tonight in a desperate attempt to find the five Britons or extract information about their whereabouts. Locals say two were killed in the raids. The military is refusing to comment.

DAN O'SHEA, FORMER HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: I can guarantee that this is a tier one top notch focus effort.

TOM IGGULDEN: The men were snatched from the Finance Ministry, just outside Baghdad's green zone on the edge of Sadr city. The abductors pulled up in up to 40 vehicles. Dressed in Iraqi paramilitary police fatigues, they swept past guard posts, entered the building and demanded, "Where are the foreigners?" One Briton got away and another five gave in without a fight.

DAN O'SHEA: Because of the sensitivity of them being kidnapped at a finance - an actual ministry building, there will be close coordination at the highest levels of both the British Government, the American Government and the Iraqi Government. All efforts will be going out to fleece the street, find out who is involved and put pressure on the appropriate individuals to secure their release.

TOM IGGULDEN: These were the types of uniforms the kidnappers were wearing. Shiite militants have infiltrated the paramilitary police, forming feared death squads operating outside the law to hunt down sectarian enemies, but so far there is no confirmation of the kidnappers' identities. The brazen snatching also has re-focused attention on the role of private security firms operating in Iraq.

ROBIN HORSFALL, FORMER SAS OFFICER: The situation for civilian contractors working in Iraq is far more dangerous than it is for soldiers working in Iraq. They don't have the tactical backup, they don't have the quality of men to work alongside. In many cases they don't know who they're going to work with until they arrive in country.

TOM IGGULDEN: May is now the deadliest month this year for the US military in Iraq after 10 soldiers were killed yesterday. A coordinated attack outside Baghdad killed eight. Two pilots died when their reconnaissance helicopter was downed by heavy machine gun fire. A Bradley fighting vehicle sent to investigate was then hit by a roadside bomb which killed five soldiers. A second armoured vehicle sent to rescue survivors was blown up by a second bomb, killing another soldier. The attacks show a new level of planning and roadside bomb technology from the insurgency.

GENERAL MONTGOMERY MEIGS, US MILITARY: The person who is developing ways of penetrating armour is always going to have an advantage over the armour builder.

TOM IGGULDEN: There was little to protect the 38 civilians who died in two separate car bombings yesterday in central Baghdad. Tom Iggulden, Lateline.