Moscow: One Russian national was killed and two taken hostage in an attack by unidentified gunmen in Baghdad, just a month after a group of foreign workers, including Russians, were briefly abducted in Iraq.

The three were working with the "Interenergoservis" company involved in the reconstruction of Iraq's energy sector, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Russian specialists were fired at by unidentified gunmen yesterday evening (May 10, 2004) while returning to Baghdad from their work at El-Mussaif power station.

International Projects Director of 'Interenergoservis', Yevgeny Loginov, said that so far Iraqi abductors of the Russian specialists have not been identified, as there has been no word with them.

Moscow-based "Interenergoservis" has currently 340 specialists working at various power stations in Iraq under contract with that country's Energy Ministry.

Loginov said the issue of the evacuation of the personnel of the company has to be decided in consultations with the Iraqi authorities.

Earlier in April, five of its specialists were abducted from their residence in Baghdad. However, they were shortly released.

Unlike other Russian companies 'Interenergoservis' had refused to evacuate its personnel due to heavy cost of penalties under the contractual obligations.