Website death threat to Iraqi leader
A militant linked to al Qaida, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has issued a website statement claiming responsibility for an attack on a home used by Iraqi interim prime minister Iyad Allawi.
The statement, posted on a site known for such claims, promised to pursue the leader seen by Iraq’s militants as being a collaborator with US president George Bush and the 160,000 foreign troops in Iraq.
“We would like to break the bad news to you – Allawi – that if the death rockets have missed you… our quiver, thank God, is full of death arrows,” said the statement, which carried al-Zarqawi’s signature.
Four mortar rounds slammed into a neighbourhood near Allawi’s home and his political party’s headquarters last week, wounding six people. Allawi was not there at the time of the attack.
“If an arrow misses its target, soon, with God’s help, one is going to pierce your heart with a killing one… We are after you,” the statement said. It was dated July 8, the day after the attack.
In another statement, the military wing of al-Zarqawi’s group, Tawhid and Jihad, claimed responsibility for striking two American military bases and troops in Ramadi, a hotspot of anti-coalition activity west of the capital Baghdad.
The attack took place about 500 yards from an American base and destroyed a Humvee, witnesses said.
The US military said on Monday that a car bomb exploded as an American convoy passed, damaging one vehicle. No American troops were hurt.
The United States is offering €20.2m for information leading to al-Zarqawi’s capture.
The two statements appeared on at least two Islamic militant websites where al-Zarqawi’s previous claims have been posted. Their authenticity could not be verified.
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