Gunmen abducted nine university students and their driver Sunday in a an area believed to be controlled by the al-Qaeda in Iraq group in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, security officials said. ( dpa )
Gunmen stopped a bus at a fake checkpoint on a main road linking Baldruz and Canaan and took all passengers, including nine students from Diyala university, and the driver, police told Voices of Iraq news agency.
Canaan is controlled by al-Qaeda, according to police.
But Diyala university declined to confirm the kidnapping.
Baquba, 57 kilometres north-east of Baghdad, is a hotbed of Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda militants.