Terrorists in Syria Abduct More Iranian Pilgrims
News number: 9010173271 15:47 | 2012-02-01

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9010173271

TEHRAN (FNA)- Terrorists in Syria kidnapped 11 Iranian pilgrims in an area
between the Central city of Hama and the capital, Damascus.

The Iranian pilgrims were on their way to Damascus when they were abducted.

A report by press tv said that no further details of the incident have
surfaced yet.

Iranians have become the target of abduction by unknown gunmen in Syria over
the past months.

Last Thursday, a group of gunmen in Syria kidnapped 11 Iranian pilgrims
traveling by road from Turkey to Damascus.

The gunmen stopped a bus with 49 Iranians after it left the town of Halab on
January 26. The gunmen abducted 11 young men from the group but let go the
other passengers, who included women, elderly men and three children.

Yet, bandits later attacked the rest of the group, stealing their money and
valuables.

On December 21, seven Iranian engineers building a power plant in central
Syria were kidnapped. They have not yet been released.

Iranian pilgrims routinely visit Syria to pay homage to Shiite holy shrines.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March with organized attacks by
well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being
reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been
killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the
deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.