An Iraqi soldier was killed in clashes with gunmen as security forces searched for a suspect in the abduction of 18 Turkish workers, the Baghdad security command said Friday.

An Iraqi soldier was killed in clashes with gunmen as security forces searched for a suspect in the abduction of 18 Turkish workers, the Baghdad security command said Friday.

The Turkish employees of construction company Nurol Insaat were seized Wednesday in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad, where they were working on a football stadium project.

Intelligence information indicated that "one of the members of the gang that carried out the kidnapping" was on Baghdad's Palestine Street, the Baghdad Operations Command said in a statement.

"Forces moved to search and inspect in Palestine Street, but were fired on by armed men who tried to intercept them, resulting in the martyrdom of a soldier and the wounding of three others," it said of the overnight operation.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had earlier accused "the corrupt and those involved in organized crime" of being behind the kidnappings, saying he had issued "orders to deal with those people" like terrorists.

The Takfiri group, ISIL (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant) has kidnapped dozens of Turks in northern Iraq over the past 18 months and later released them. The latest abductions took place in Sadr City.