Group kills 14 kidnapped Iraqi soldiers
An al-Qaida-linked Sunni group said today that it kidnapped 18 government workers and soldiers in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Sunni woman by members of the Shiite-dominated police force.
Hours later, the government said the bodies of 14 security officers had been found.
The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni group linked to al-Qaida, posted a statement on the internet earlier today saying 18 men were kidnapped in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Sunni woman by members of Iraq’s Shiite-dominated police force.
Photos accompanied the claim, showing up to 18 blindfolded men. Seven were wearing Iraqi military uniforms, and all had their hands tied behind their backs.
Brigadier General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the 14 bodies were found this afternoon in Diyala province north-east of Baghdad.
He blamed al-Qaida for the killings, and said Iraqi authorities would “chase those who assassinated these unarmed people”.
The group had threatened to kill the hostages within 24 hours if the Iraqi government did not hand over officers accused in the rape case, and release all Sunni women held in Iraqi prisons.
The claim surfaced on the web early today, but it was unclear when the 24 hours began.
“This blessed operation is a response to crimes carried out by those infidels in their fight against the Sunnis,” the statement said. “The latest of the crimes committed by these traitors was to rape our sister in religion.”
