A broad daylight beheading in the streets of Baghdad. Beheadings in public
have happened in Mosul, but this is in the middle of Baghdad on the street in the middle of the day!
Kuna
Witnesses said here Friday that a number of gunmen beheaded a policeman and stuck a note on his corpse describing as traitors those working with or helping the police.
About ten gunmen in two cars in the Ramadi area stepped out of their vehicles, attacked a soldier, tied his hands behind his back, and cut his head off before the eyes of shocked onlookers in the street, the witnesses said.
Tipped by: Ramblings' Journal
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Update (12:42 PM PST):
Reuters (via Outside The Beltway)
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.
I had little doubt it was Zarqawi's group other than the location of the attack which is outside of all their recent activity in Mosul.
Other Commentary:
In The Bullpen
Crossposted to The Command Post and Backcountry Conservative
"I had little doubt it was Zarqawi's group other than the location of the attack which is outside of all their recent activity in Mosul."
Actually, Ansar al-Sunnah has been the culprit of most of the Mosul action while Al Qaida in Iraq has concentrated on the Sunni Triangle. It is believed by several military analysts and those serving on the ground in Iraq that Zarqawi is in fact in Baghdad.
Of course that does not mean it was Zarqawi's group, however it almost mirrors the actions his group did in Mosul as you noted above.
Posted by: Chad Evans on January 21, 2005 01:04 PM
Just to clarify: Ramadi is not in or near Baghdad. It's about an hour (or two) to the west, past Fallujah. It has been a hotbed of insurgent activity since the end of the invasion.
Posted by: Tim on January 21, 2005 05:13 PM
