Many kidnapped in raid

Two bodyguards' bodies were dumped and found later.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Gunmen kidnapped the chairman of Iraq's Olympic committee and at least 30 others Saturday in a brazen daylight raid on a sports conference in the heart of Baghdad. Armed clashes erupted elsewhere across the capital.
Parliament extended the national state of emergency as at least 27 people -- including two American soldiers -- were killed in sectarian or insurgency-related violence.
About 1:30 p.m., gunmen in about dozen vehicles pulled up outside the meeting of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, police and witnesses said. They entered the conference center, blindfolded and handcuffed participants and bodyguards, hustled them into the vehicles and sped away.
Those kidnapped included Ahmed al-Hijiya, chairman of the Olympic Committee, and the presidents of the taekwondo and boxing federations, according to police Lt. Thaer Mahmoud. The bodies of two of the bodyguards were found later, dumped along a street.
The International Olympic Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, condemned "these acts against the sport community" and called for the immediate release of the hostages.
The abduction came a day after Iraq's national wrestling team withdrew from a tournament in the United Arab Emirates; the team's Sunni coach was killed Thursday in a Shiite district of Baghdad.
It was unclear how many were kidnapped, though police officials placed the figure as high as 50. Other details also were unclear: Some witnesses said the attackers were masked and wore police uniforms. Others said the gunmen were unmasked and wore civilian clothes. Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani denied any police involvement.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday in separate bombings in Baghdad, in the Shiite district of Sadr City and in the southern part of the capital, the military said. At least 2,549 members of the U.S. military have died since the start of the Iraq war.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.