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Zarqawi beheads Iraqi soldier in Ramadi
Militants loyal to al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi beheaded an Iraqi soldier in a rebel stronghold in broad daylight on Friday and left a note warning other Iraqi troops to quit, witnesses said.They said nine men pulled up in two cars to the center of Ramadi, dragged the soldier out of one of the vehicles and cut off his head as residents looked on. They left the body, dressed in army fatigues, in the street with the severed head placed on the torso. A note was found at the scene purporting to be from Zarqawi's group, Al Qaeda Organization of Holy War in Iraq, warning Iraqi soldiers, National Guards and police that a similar fate awaited them. Iraq's fledgling security forces have borne the brunt of attacks by insurgents who accuse them of collaborating with U.S.-led forces they want to expel from Iraq. Insurgents often clash with U.S. and Iraqi troops in Ramadi, a restive city some 110 km (68 miles) west of the capital, where anti-American sentiment runs high. Earlier on Friday, residents tore up leaflets U.S. troops were handing out in Ramadi encouraging people to vote. Interest in the elections is low in Sunni Muslim Ramadi, where few voters have registered and a low turnout is expected amid widespread violence and intimidation. An influential Sunni group of clerics has urged Iraqis not to vote in protest against U.S. attacks on Sunni cities, and the country's main Sunni party has pulled out of the running. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-01-21 |
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