Hooray! We let this guy go. Nice freaking work. Update: A more recent report has the number at 25.

Xposed:

Iraqi police discovered on Friday at least 10 bodies in a building housing a maverick religious court run by rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's followers here Friday.

Police said they were victims of the court's summary brand of justice, but al-Sadr's followers said they had died in the three weeks of fighting in Najaf between al-Sadr's militiamen and U.S.-Iraqi forces.

An Associated Press reporter saw about 10 charred and bloated bodies covered in blankets, including one of an elderly woman. It was not immediately clear how they died, but they appeared to have been killed by shrapnel, with large gaping wounds.

The stench of the corpses led police, who were deployed Friday in Najaf's Old City, to the bodies, said Brig. Gen. Amer al-Daami, Najaf's deputy police chief.

We found bodies, burnt and rotten," he said.

Al-Daami said some of the bodies were those of police officers, and others belonged to civilians. Before the fighting began Aug. 5, authorities accused the militants of taking police hostage in the city and of killing and mutilating some of them.

Al-Sadr's office in Najaf had set up the court, which ordered arrests and meted out punishments outside of religious and legal authorities. Local Iraqi officials have in the past demanded it be shut down and all its prisoners freed.

Police said the bodies belonged to the victims of the court. But a court official, who identified himself only as Hashim, said the corpses belonged to militants killed in the recent fighting in the city.

The two-story courthouse is made up of 15 rooms filled with desks, computers and books. The bodies were located in an open air area within the courthouse compound.

Half the skull of one of the dead men was missing and another man appeared to have suffered massive wounds to his stomach. None of the bodies was dismembered, save one, which had been beheaded, though it was unclear how.

During the fighting, the militants had set up their own informal health clinics and morgues. The U.S. military has said it killed hundreds of militants in the fighting, though the militants say their casualty figure was far lower.

The courts have arrested and interrogated hundreds of people on charges including selling alcohol and peddling music deemed immoral. Punishments included flagellation.

Al-Sadr's followers have been accused of using the court to settle scores with opponents or to threaten people.

Posted by: Rusty at 01:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 433 words, total size 3 kb.

One more for the count. May God bless you and bring swift justice to those that murdered you. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 08:30 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 128 words, total size 2 kb.

For the latest news on hostages in Iraq please go to the MAIN PAGE HERE.

UPDATE: Italian hostage Salvatore Santoro Murdered by Terrorists in Iraq. News, information, and images here.
-----------------------------------------
Bastards. Fu**ing bastards. Can't they let one freaking day go by without murdering another hostage??? To make it worse, Enzo Baldoni was there with the Red Cross trying to help Iraq heal. I let my class out early for what? This story via M.H. King:

The hostage takers who grabbed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni on the road between Baghdad and Najaf in Iraq have killed him, the Italian government confirmed Thursday.

"We can confirm it was him, unfortunately," a spokesman for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said.

Arabic language television channel Al Jazeera said Baldoni's kidnappers killed him because Italy refused to heed their earlier deadline to withdraw troops from Iraq.

"The group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq said they executed the Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni because Italy did not respond to their demand to withdraw troops from Iraq within 48 hours," the Arabic language channel Al Jazeera said.

Al Jazeera showed a video of Baldoni, 56, speaking to the camera in front of the group's banner, but no audio could be heard. The television said it would not air footage showing Baldoni's dead body out of respect for his family.

Berlusconi responded quickly with a statement reiterating his determination to keep Italian forces in the U.S.-led coalition and condemning Baldoni's killing.

"There are no words for an act lacking any humanity and which at a stroke cancels out centuries of civilization and takes us back to the dark ages of barbarity," he said.

Italian newspapers said Baldoni and his driver-interpreter were caught in an ambush between Baghdad and Najaf, scene of a Shi'ite rebellion. His driver was found dead Saturday.

Tuesday, the Islamic Army in Iraq gave Italy 48 hours to withdraw its 2,700 troops from Iraq or Baldoni would be killed.

Italy, which has the third-largest foreign military contingent in the country, refused to bow to the kidnappers' demands.

As well as a reporter for the Milan-based weekly "Diario," Baldoni was volunteering for the Red Cross while in Iraq, his daughter, Gabriella Baldoni, told Italian television on Wednesday.

"He was trying to save human lives in Najaf by helping a Red Cross convoy in a spirit of solidarity which has always underscored his thinking and his actions," she told RAI television.
Four other Italians have been taken hostage in Iraq since militants began employing the technique in April to pressure U.S. allies and businesses to leave the country.

One of them, civilian security guard Fabrizio Quattrocchi, was shot dead. The three others were released unharmed.

The Islamic Army in Iraq claimed responsibility for the death of an Iranian diplomat in Iraq earlier this month and showed the man in a videotape. It also was reported to have killed two Pakistani hostages in July.

Others Blogging: M.H. King, Jane, Diggers Realm, Jeff Quinton

Posted by: Rusty at 07:01 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
Post contains 521 words, total size 4 kb.

Advice taken, now pass the ammunition. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 04:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 21 words, total size 1 kb.

UPDATE: If you are looking for news, images, and links to the latest beheading video released by the monsters who claim they kill for Allah, please go to my MAIN PAGE HERE and scroll down for more recent entries.

UPDATE: I have the photos. Do not proceed. They are very graphic. They depict the victim, who's name is alleged to be 'Jamal Tewefic Salman' or 'Khaled Abdul Messih', being executed by a knife to the neck. His head is sawed off. They are at the end of this post.

For original post and images, please scroll past this update section

UPDATE: 10/02: For the latest information, links to video, and images on hostages in Iraq please check the main page by CLICKING HERE.

Here is a list of all the victims of Islamic Beheadings since late July this year.

10/02 Iraqi Victim Barie Nafie Dawoud Ibrahim Beheading Video and Images Here
9/22 American Hostage Jack Hensley Beheading Video and Images Here
9/20 American Hostage Eugene Armstrong Beheaded on Video Here
9/13 Turkish Hostage Beheaded on Video Here
9/08 Three Muslim 'Informants' Beheaded by the Religion of Irony
8/31 12 Nepalese Hostages Killed, 1 Beheaded Here
8/26 Italian Hostage Enzo Baldoni Murdered Here
8/25 Alleged CIA Agent Beheaded in Video Here
8/13 Another Alleged CIA Agent Beheaded on Video Here
8/11 CIA Agent Executed: Another Beheading Video
8/09 Another Bulgarian Beheading Video
8/02 Turkish Hostage Murdered
7/28 Bulgarian Beheading Video
7/27 Kashmir Rebels Bomb Hospital, Behead Three
7/27 Paul Johnson Beheading Video and Images Here
---------------------------------------
Origina post:

Reuters:

An Islamic militant group posted pictures on its Web site Wednesday of what it said was the beheading of a man it called a Central Intelligence Agency spy in Iraq.

Army of Ansar al-Sunna's site showed five sequential photographs of the apparent beheading and threatened the same fate for other people who it caught spying.

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the pictures.

The group said in an accompanying statement that Jamal Tewefic Salman, who became an U.S. citizen in 1980, confessed to be masquerading as a journalist in Iraq to spy on Islamic fighters for the CIA.

"A group of mujahideen were able to kidnap a spy called Jamal Tewefic Salman, who got U.S. citizenship in 1980. He changed his name to Khaled Abdul Messih," it said.

"We have implemented God's judgment on him and the accompanying pictures show his beheading. We call on those living off the blood of the mujahideen to repent to God and stop what they are doing ... or else the mujahideen's and God's hands will reach their necks one by one," it added.

Ansar al-Sunna has claimed many attacks since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq last year, but no official link has been made between the group and the attacks it has claimed.

The group Sunday showed individual pictures of 12 Nepalis it said it was holding in Iraq.

Militants in the country have waged a campaign of kidnapping aimed at driving out individuals, companies and troops supporting U.S.-led forces and the new Iraqi interim administration.

Scores of hostages have been taken. Some have been released but at least nine have been killed.

(Hat tip: Chad Evans who first noticed a spike in Google searches) more...

Posted by: Rusty at 11:01 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
Post contains 719 words, total size 7 kb.

1 Do they ever wonder that when everybody gets wind of how they so brutalize another human being, what Allah will do to them? Or what we'll do to them? How do we adequately punish these people? Think about that for a second...I'm still stunned over Kerry's move today with his vet buddy at Bush's ranch... but say we put them through a trial and they're convicted and they get the death penalty? What's the worse thing we can do to them? Put in an IV after 10 years or so and slowly drip 3-5 different drugs into their system where they don't feel a thing and then finally they stop breathing and their heart stops beating and all of this is done with no fear? I don't care if someone wants to make fun of my run-on sentences but what kind of punishment do these people really deserve? ARGH ~C

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at August 25, 2004 04:31 PM (D39Vm)

2 Rusty, On Outside the Beltway, they have you going to NEIN and it's the same local guy (already dead, I believe) we saw getting beheaded earlier in the month. The pictures you have are of someone else entirely and I do not think it's new. Cindy

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at August 25, 2004 06:31 PM (D39Vm)

3 #10 Video is of #14

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at August 25, 2004 06:40 PM (D39Vm)

4 I'm getting the impression that the men of Islam like to give and get head.

Posted by: Dave at September 21, 2004 11:29 AM (OcbBc)

5 burn all the islamic sand nigers mother fuckers in there own oil remember america they drew frist blood dont forget the twin towers they hate us they want to kill all of us what will it take before you wake the fuck up you fucked up libs and fuck you kerry you trader

Posted by: jack at December 01, 2004 01:21 PM (ZPg6D)

6 Jack, persons like you are exactly the reason why organisations like Al Qaida exsists

Posted by: Nir at December 11, 2004 10:44 AM (pj31V)

7 Yep jack I think u also need to be beheaded I'd definately behead you if I had the chance u honky!!

Posted by: zarqawi at December 28, 2004 04:07 AM (CIlgT)

8 = = Apology To The Iraqi People = = Dear People of Iraq: Please forgive me for the horrors my political leaders and their military personnel have brought upon your country and its people. Myself and others in America witness your pain daily; we see how the Bush crime family under the cloak of democracy has brought you only misery and death. Like myself, there are many Americans here who feel we may face a very similar fate soon. The destruction of your homes, the murders and tortures of your men, the rape of your women, all serve the U.S. military as a practice session to eventually be used against us here too. It is common knowledge that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Colin Powell, Condi Rice and other traitors (quite possibly together with Israel) helped orchestrate the World Trade Center demolitions on the morning of Sept 11th, 2001 in New York which killed thousands of innocent Americans. They then used the publicized 9/11 event to cultivate support for an invasion of your country. The United States has been seized by a group of criminals; we are helpless against them. The Bush crime family has enacted far reaching laws (The Patriot Act, etc.) which the average man doesn't even realize has robbed him of his rights. If we protest, if we speak too loudly now against the government (the President), we can be arrested, perhaps never to be seen again, sometimes even killed. Dear Iraqi people, we are not blind; informed Americans know the U.S. military has orders to seize and secure Iraq as an oil asset, at any cost. Your country's heroic defenders and your innocent citizens are being slaughtered without mercy, without cause and we can do nothing. Please forgive us for we are powerless to help you at this time. We have all been deceived and we are collectively made unwilling conspirators in these heinous crimes against your country and your people. Hopefully, and God willing, the false president and whore George W. Bush and his murdering gang of global oil mongers (to whom his father has sold him) will all be held accountable in a world court for their crimes against humanity and will suffer their much overdue punishment.

Posted by: Anonymous American Citizen at January 30, 2005 01:59 PM (vH0Lu)

9 I've just watched several of these beheading videos for the first time and will probably never watch them again. Conversely, the helicopter footage of a mindless execution of those Iraqi men in the fields, seems somehow less disturbing. And yet so much more tragic. On one level, there can be no justification of such barbarism as that employed in the beheading footage, that's not even how a Kosher, or Halaal butcher would execute an animal, they are purposefully making the act a disturbing spectacle by using a deliberate technique which ensures the victim is alive and aware until the last possible moment when the spinal cord is severed. However, just because the gunship 'smoke em' footage is somehow sanitised by distance and night vision, doesn't make it any less barbaric. Does the man gurgling in his own blood, being held down by assailants suffer more than the mutilated man crawling out of the wreckage after seeing everyone around him blown to pieces, only to be bombarded by 60mm shells from above ? The amount of time in question is similar and the Geneva Convention has been blatantly flaunted in both. Furthermore, some of the victims in the gunship video are aware of their impending doom for considerably longer than any of the victims in the beheading videos. Who is more justified in their actions ? One argument concerns conviction and focus. It takes a passionate man to execute someone in person, however video games display more blood and guts than the gunship crew had to experience when they made arbitrary decisions regarding their targets' lives. Few of us are ignorant enough to believe that the followers of the terrorist movement responsible, are brainless Sweeney Todd stereotypes. These men aren't involved with para military tactics because they enjoy violence. Any involvment in such an act will undoubtedly require much soul searching, also long standing emotional and psychological damage. This means that to continue on such a heinous plan of events, the individuals in question must have an over riding objective, and a very high compensating mechanism. They are resorting to extremes in what is a means to an end. The end game being the removal of antagonistic and uninvited forces from their home lands. Whereas, the crew of the gunship are clearly out on a turkey hunt, they're probably NRA members and think Ted Nugent is the man. Perhaps if the Native Americans had been able to gain access to such media distribution methods, their country may have become a very different place. Let's not forget that America is a land born recently out of opression, violence and exploitation. Iraq is by comparison, the 'cradle of civilisation' How many grotesque murders have been carried out in the name of 'freedom' or 'the constitution' or even 'white supremacy' ? Please America, don't be blinded by your knee jerk, again.

Posted by: tx_source at February 02, 2005 12:37 PM (fpBZ0)

10 Fuck muslims, they all should rot in hell for what they did to my fellow brothers! We christians are the chosen race!! Hope that America kill those motha fuckas!!

Posted by: Chris at March 01, 2005 02:39 AM (9VAJF)

11 i am an american citizen,a christian. everyone condemns the beheading, many muslim scholars and groups condemned it calling it a terrorist act. but we should know what made them to to this horrible murder. we shouldn't forget that the abu ghraib abuse was chiefly responsible for this.the americans started this. the abuse was so horrible some 40 innocent civilians were beaten to death. ?? who will answer this?? some injured civilians were even stitched by soldiers without anaesthesia.!!! what about the death of 1,00,000 iraqi civilians.? and what about the burial of iraqi soldiers alive in trenches of the gulfwar(1991) by american soldiers.?? this is too much for the iraqi's to bear. the americans made them to react like that. if the beheadings have to stop , the american government should pull out its troops from iraq and stop interfering and robbing others oil and assets. if the american government cant do that , we can only expect more violence and american deaths ahead.

Posted by: jim at March 06, 2005 01:57 AM (BLibe)

12 You idiots make me sick! You all are clueless, the religious war has begun...when is last time that you heard of a Christian group bombing anything in the name of anything?! You haven't! These "people" may not represent Islam as a whole but they are performing terrorist acts in the name of Islam! But, do we see any real condemnation from the Islamic community...not really...you know why? Because they agree with the terrorists, they don't like America. You know why? Because we are rich...even the poorest American is doing better than over half of the poor saps that live just about anywhere else. So please, don't blame American economics or foreign policies, these people are terrorists and they don't care about anyone but themselves. People, don't expect America to take care of you because we can't! Everyone thinks that America can just wave a hand and make anything happen...and that is not true. The world has a real messed up idea of America's capabilites. America is not here to save the world, it exists only for the BENEFIT of American citizens. So please just leave us "real americans" alone. If you don't like it, Belize has a very liberal emmigration policy. GO THERE!

Posted by: A REAL AMERICAN at March 25, 2005 01:00 PM (DiM6H)

13 In reply to: "You idiots make me sick! You all are clueless, the religious war has begun...when is last time that you heard of a Christian group bombing anything in the name of anything?! You haven't!" How about Tim Mcveigh who bombed a federal building killing women, children and men in the name of Christianity or pro-life Christians who bomb abortion clinics all the time. Let's not forget what happened in Salem Mass or the Crusades many years ago in the name of God. You need to listen to the news and study your history a lot more so you can avoid making uninformed statements like that. Most conservatives make ignorant statements like yours because they don't know the actual facts and are just reacting blindly like children. Conservatives are usually ignorant of the truth or just greedy no good bastards who choose to ignore it and probably did very poorly in school like George Bush. Your the reason America is hated by the rest of the world and considered backwards ass hicks. Most academics are liberals because they are too intelligent not to be. They explore the facts and then make an intelligent decision whereas conservatives are kneejerk reactionaries who have little in the way of true knowledge, brains or wisdom. Educate yourselves and you'll find a much better world awaits you!

Posted by: John Lennon at June 16, 2005 01:27 AM (C2cKz)

14 I have viewed a few of these beheadings and am appaulled. Having said that I am also disgusted by some of the comments I have read here. It seems to me that the comments of some of the "conservatives" and "Christians" are just plain racist and ignorant. What kind of Christians are you? The last posting by "John Lennon" is pretty hypocritical also - "Most conservatives making ignorant statements...just reacting blindly like children"...isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? I know tempers are flaring but if we want to avoid "knee jerk" responses we should take a few minutes to calm down before speaking (or in this case typing). The brutal beheadings or mistreatment of Iraquis by American soldiers are the result of a lengthy history of: American misinformation; poor (American) international policy; violent Arab nation regimes; religion based governments; stubborn and greedy world leaders; and inability to communicate with reason and understanding. All of these issues have come to a head now - largely due to our "shrinking world". This shrinking world requires us all to, now more than ever, pay attention to our neighbours. We need to show courtesy, concern and lend a helping hand when and where we can (sounds like the Christianity I know). Hatred only causes pain - not healing. We are generally well educated in North America and should use that education to find more civilized solutions. The extremists in Iraq and the surrounding area are operating on raw emotion and religious fervor. Reason may not solve the problem with them right now - the troops are there now and pulling them out too soon will not work (it's too late for that now). I don't see how Americans can expect to solve their problems overseas if they continue to fight internally (as your postings indicate). I think extremism is the problem everywhere, whether it be Islamic extremists, Conservative or Liberal extremists doesn't matter. Centered, collected thought processes must be focussed on the problems at hand to serve the greater good. I know many Americans are not too happy with Canadians since Iraq. Let me say this - I for one cringe every time an American or Iraqui soldier or police officer is killed. I can't say I supported the invasion of Iraq but I, like most Canadians, still support our American brothers overseas and don't want to see any harm come to them. All of you who condemn the soldiers should remember that although a few have done wrong, most are good hearted people who don't necessarily want to be there but are there to serve their country - because the government required it of them. Let reason win this battle folks - not hatred. I offer my heart felt condolences to the families of anyone who has died in this horrific conflict - particularly the victims seen in these ghastly video's.

Posted by: Conservative Canadian at June 20, 2005 06:58 PM (hiLcT)

15 I saw a few videos on anwar al Sunni web site and i can only say I didn't know that a muslims are so primitive fanatics. I don't want to compare them with a animals because it will offend animals. We should Nuke them all ! I think that we should deport all muslims from our countries and destroy all mosques. They don't tolerating other religions so why we should tolerate them.They rising their children to hate all others who are not muslims.

Posted by: John at August 04, 2005 07:01 AM (UoOtu)

16 Only dead muslim is good muslim !

Posted by: Richard Lion Heart at August 04, 2005 07:04 AM (UoOtu)

17 MingMingMingMingMingMingMingMing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Shaun at August 12, 2005 06:18 AM (Xpc5F)

18 Assalamaoalaikaum , All i have to say is that let those faggots slay and rape us ........ there is some day that we will fuck them really deeply . ! Dont worry Brothers Allah will help us ..... its just a life of a minute.

Posted by: Muhammad Mustafa at September 27, 2005 02:54 PM (vUWMh)

19 Fuck all you sand niger mother fuckers, I hope you stupid fucks do something else in the U.S.A. because that will start the country wide riot and open season on all you islamic fucks...it will be kill on site and nobody will be able to stop it!!!!

Posted by: sand niger killer at October 02, 2005 06:37 PM (RbBvt)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

UPDATE: The hostages have been murdered. This post has the details, photos, and link to video.

ABC News:

Twelve Nepalese workers were confirmed kidnapped on Monday, August 23, by the Nepalese Foreign Ministry. They were in Iraq working for a Jordan-based construction company. The workers were traveling in two cars on August 19, when they disappeared after crossing the border from Jordan. The following day, an Iraqi militant group posted a statement on its Web site claiming to have kidnapped the Nepalese workers. On Sunday, the site showed photos of 12 men it claimed were the hostages. The group has been linked to past unfounded claims of kidnappings.

Posted by: Rusty at 06:09 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 115 words, total size 1 kb.

Let's compare the level of class and clear thinking between a Persian reader and a troll.

Persian reader on Another Egyptian 'CIA Agent' Beheading Video:

I am a muslem from Iran. Sitting here cold and horrorstricken after seeing these horrified pictures of beheading a Egyptian man! I apologise to human race regardless of their religion, color or their nationality in the name of Millions of true and decent Muslems around the world.

What you haven't included are the pictures of American soldiers gloating over the body of an Iraqi detainee that they had beaten to death. Let's compare that to Berg's death: Both men are unarmed and handcuffed, one is beaten to death, the other had his head cut off with a knife. I think the only main point for arguing in this case is which is worse:
getting beaten to death or having your head cut off with a knife. I don't think either should be accepted.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:46 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 166 words, total size 1 kb.

UPDATE: Due to a high volume of requests for Zarqawi's URL, I am unable to give it out anymore. Sorry, just taking up too much of my time. Please check my MAIN PAGE HERE for updates on what Zarqawi's evil minions are posting. If they post a threat or another beheading snuff film, I will let you know along with links and pics.

UPDATE: It appears that the hosting company has taken down the site for good! Less than half an hour after this post went up, the URLs for at least half a dozen terrorist sites hosted by Hosting Anime were shut down. As of this writing, the internet addresses are not valid. Apparantly, the notoriety caused by my previous post forced the host to yank the sites. Thanks to Michelle Malkin and the dozen others (see their referring TrackBacks in my previous post) for getting the word out. Way to go!!

UPDATE II: Nope, up again. Wishful thinking on my part? Well it was completely down for awhile. Did I mention the name of the company that hosts at least a dozen terrorist websites is called Hosting Anime and is an American company? I might have failed to mention that abuse of their servers can be reported to them here. Terrorism is abuse, right?
_______________________________________

An internet website with ties to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is back up. The site was hacked over the weekend, as first reported here. The site is used by Zarqawi for propaganda purposes, most notably to release images and video of beheading victims.

Yesterday, the site featured images of an American flag and a crossed-out picture of Ossama bin Laden. A captured image of the webpage can be found in my earlier post. The hacked page featured a warning from the internet hacking group, calling themselves "TeaMz UsA", which read "HoSt Em?....Watch out...wE B ...Cominz 4 U", an apparent message to the company providing hosting to the terrorist web site. The company, Hosting Anime, is reported to rent space on servers owned by Everyone's Internet (EV1), a Houston based company.

Today, surfers reaching Zarqawi's site find downloads of religious fatwas issued against the United States and images of Kim Sun-il and Georgi Lazov, both beheaded by the group. The video of several executions is also available on the site today along with an explanation in English of why Kim Sun-il's execution was justified:

Kim's parents had urged the Seoul government to do
everything to save their son, who had a degree in theology as well as Arabic and had hoped to be Christian missionary in the Arab world.

Yonhap said the president was a devout Christian and the name of the company, which donated 10 percent of its profit for missionary work, was a biblical reference.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:22 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 483 words, total size 3 kb.

One down, thank goodness...but there are at least three other Westerners and dozens of others still in Iraq with the threat of beheading looming over them. They are: Christian Chesnot, Georges Malbrunot, and Enzo Baldoni. (Hat tip: Wizbang)

Posted by: Rusty at 04:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 44 words, total size 1 kb.

Buried deep in a story about how Franco-American journalist Micah Garen was to be freed because of the relentless efforts of the peace-loving Muqtada al Sadr (future Nobel Laureate), I found a single paragraph about a Turkish company caving to demands that it leave Iraq or one of their employees would be beheaded.

The only good I can see coming out of this is that at least this poor guy won't die. And, at least it was a private corporation--not a government (I'm looking in your direction Spain and Phllippines). Record-Journal:

Also Thursday, a Turkish company announced it was withdrawing its employees from Iraq in an effort to save the life of a worker taken hostage by Iraqi militants. Turkish media said the kidnappers have threatened to kill the hostage if the company didn't leave within three days.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:21 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 163 words, total size 1 kb.

UPDATE 9/13: Another murdered hostage, this one Durmus Kumdereli from Turkey, was released today. News, pics, and video here.

Another one. Murat Yuce was the name of the Turkish hostage executed last month. He was shot, rather than beheaded.

Al Jazeera:

A Turkish television channel aired footage of a Turkish hostage in Iraq who said that his captors had given two Turkish companies 72 hours to quit the country in exchange for his life.

The NTV news channel identified the man as Aytullah Gezmen, who went missing in Iraq last month together with another Turk, Murat Yuce.

more...

Posted by: Rusty at 08:34 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 366 words, total size 3 kb.

Pakistan released it's list of most wanted terrorists today. Below is a picture. In the top center slot is Amjad Hussain 'Farooqi', wanted for the grizzly beheading execution of Daniel Pearl. Not shown is center square, Whoopi Goldberg.

PS-'Beheading is un-Islamic'

Posted by: Rusty at 02:05 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 47 words, total size 1 kb.

Yawn. I've heard this one before. Will somebody wake me up when Sadr is dead please?

Posted by: Rusty at 01:40 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 20 words, total size 1 kb.

Is it better to be loved or feared? Remember, John Kerry thinks the former, G.W. Bush the latter. Pakistan helps us because they fear us. VOA:

Pakistani police say they have arrested a suspected Arab al-Qaida member following a shootout in the western city of Peshawar.

PS-(OT)Llamma Butchers (that ought to put you back onto the TTLB Ecosystem)

Posted by: Rusty at 01:19 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 61 words, total size 1 kb.

Two from Turkey kidnapped today. One American Journalist (with dual French citizenship) and his Iraqi Translator also nabbed.

Luckily, two more Lebaneese hostages were released--they were both truck drivers.

In other hostage related news, India is frantically negotiating with terrorists. And a woman, held hostage in the Muslim state of Kashmir relates her story of torture and rape by the Religion of Respecting the Dignity of Womanhood.

Posted at Jeff Quinton's terrorism round-up and at James Joyner's daily Traffic Jam.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:21 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 86 words, total size 1 kb.

Another delegation goes to negotiate with Muqtada al-Sadr?? Are you kidding me? Is this the most insane idea you've ever heard? Two lessons in life you should have learned in kindergarden: 1) Germans love David Hasselhoff. 2) Muqtada al-Sadr uses negotiations to buy time to rearm and reposition himself. Letting him leave is just letting him regroup in another city is not what we want. We want him dead. This is FUBAR. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 01:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 369 words, total size 2 kb.

Via Dr. Chaos, this link to a Washington Times piece that suggests that Iraqi WMD have been moved to Syria. Just to give props where props are due, Dr. Chaos has been convinced that WMD are in Syria for months. I remain skeptical.

Washington Times:

Two defense sources told The Washington Times that the ISG has interviewed Iraqis who told of Saddam's system of dispatching his trusted Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) to the border, where they would send border inspectors away.

The shift was followed by the movement of trucks in and out of Syria suspected of carrying materials banned by U.N. sanctions. Once the shipments were made, the agents would leave and the regular border guards would resume their posts.

Also on the case: In the Bullpen, Power Line

Posted by: Rusty at 01:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 183 words, total size 1 kb.

Last, some good news via Wretchard that all reporters were ordered out of Najaf. Let the bombing begin! I will sleep better tonight.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 33 words, total size 1 kb.

"Today, among the 13th Jewish tribe, there are those who say that the Jews are Aryans."---Milhem Karam, president of the Lebanese Editors' Association on why he is not an anti-Semite.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:12 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 38 words, total size 1 kb.

Fool me once: shame on you. Fool me twice: shame on me. Fool me forty-seven times: business as usual at the State Department.

What numbnut bureaucrat thought holding peace negotiations with Moqtada al Sadr was a good idea? Reuteres:

Talks to end the conflict in Najaf between U.S. and Iraqi forces and radical Shi'ite militiamen have collapsed, Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said Saturday.
"The talks have failed. All efforts to end this have not succeeded," he told reporters.

Militants loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have been battling U.S. and Iraqi forces in the sacred city of Najaf for 10 days in fighting that has killed hundreds and sent thousands of protesters to the streets.

A truce has held since Friday but tensions remain high.

Thousands of Sadr supporters flock to Najaf....

Posted by: Rusty at 09:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 303 words, total size 2 kb.