Gunmen kidnapped the head of an Iraqi government-owned construction company in Baghdad.

Unidentified armed men riding in two cars snatched Ra'ad Adnan, the General Director of Al-Mansour Contracting Co., as he drove through the south-eastern Baghdad area of Zaieuna. His company carries out construction contracts for Iraqi Government Ministries.

On Friday, militants kidnapped Egyptian diplomat Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb as he left a mosque and demanded his country abandon any plans to send security experts to support Iraq's new government, according to a video broadcast on the al-Jazeera television station.

Today Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi urged Egypt not to bow to the demands of the kidnappers."The only way to deal with terrorism is to promote justice and to close ranks, and we hope Egypt and the Egyptian government will act accordingly," Allawi said.

The rash of kidnappings, which also included the abduction of seven foreign truck drivers Wednesday, has threatened Iraq's efforts to rebuild the country and persuade more governments to commit troops to the coalition here.

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