thedrifter
07-03-04, 01:57 PM
Iraq Militants Claim Marine Beheading
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi militant group claimed on a Web site Saturday that it had beheaded a captive U.S. Marine, in what would be the fourth decapitation of a foreign hostage in the region since May.
The group, called the Ansar al-Sunna Army, posted a written statement on an Islamic web site claiming that it had killed Lebanese-born Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun.
"We would like to inform you that the Marine of Lebanese descent has been killed, and you will soon see the movie with your own eyes," said the statement, signed in the name of the group's leader, Abu Abdullah al-Hassan bin Mahmoud.
The U.S. military in Baghdad said it was checking into the report of Hassoun's death but had no confirmation for the moment.
It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the group's statement.
On June 27, the Arab television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape showing Hassoun blindfolded, along with a statement from militants threatening to kill him unless the United States releases all Iraqis in "occupation jails."
In that initial statement, the kidnappers identified themselves as "Islamic Response," the security wing of the "National Islamic Resistance - 1920 Revolution Brigades" referring to the uprising against the British after World War I.
Saturday's claim on Hassoun's death was issued on the same Islamic extremist Web forum where footage was posted last month showing the beheading of U.S. engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr, in Saudi Arabia. The site also often carries claims of attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant said to be operating in Iraq (news - web sites).
Al-Zarqawi's movement claimed responsibility for the beheading of Kim Sun-il, a South Korean who worked for a company delivering supplies to American forces, and Nicholas Berg, an American businessman, whose body was found in Baghdad in May. Johnson's slaying was claimed by al-Qaida-linked militants in Saudi Arabia, and pictures of his severed head were posted on the Internet.
Another militant group in Iraq claimed last week that it had killed Spc. Keith M. Maupin, an American soldier who had been held captive since April. The military has not yet confirmed that Maupin was shown in grainy video footage of a man being shot in the back of the head.
Hassoun, from West Jordan, Utah, was last seen about a week before the videotape was broadcast, the military said.
Hassoun's kidnappers originally claimed that militants had "infiltrated" a U.S. military base and "lured" him off post before capturing him.
The U.S. military said Hassoun had been absent without authorization since July 20, though after the video was shown it listed his status as "captured."
The New York Times, citing a Marine officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has reported on its Web site that Hassoun had been traumatized after seeing one of his sergeants killed by a mortar, and was trying to make his way back to Lebanon. The officer told the paper that Hassoun sought the help of Iraqis on the base, was betrayed by them, and was handed over the extremists.
Hassoun's eldest brother, Mohammad, who lives in a Salt Lake City suburb, denied the report.
Ansar al-Sunna Army claimed responsibility for the twin suicide attacks on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party offices in Irbil on Feb. 1 that killed 109 people.
At the time, the U.S. military in Iraq believed the group was an offshoot of Ansar al-Islam, but this view later changed. There has been speculation that the group was formed from among Iraqi followers of the strict Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam, which is widely followed in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Critics of the sect accuse it of fostering extremism.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040703/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_marine_killed
Ellie
Prayers....God Bless
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi militant group claimed on a Web site Saturday that it had beheaded a captive U.S. Marine, in what would be the fourth decapitation of a foreign hostage in the region since May.
The group, called the Ansar al-Sunna Army, posted a written statement on an Islamic web site claiming that it had killed Lebanese-born Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun.
"We would like to inform you that the Marine of Lebanese descent has been killed, and you will soon see the movie with your own eyes," said the statement, signed in the name of the group's leader, Abu Abdullah al-Hassan bin Mahmoud.
The U.S. military in Baghdad said it was checking into the report of Hassoun's death but had no confirmation for the moment.
It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the group's statement.
On June 27, the Arab television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape showing Hassoun blindfolded, along with a statement from militants threatening to kill him unless the United States releases all Iraqis in "occupation jails."
In that initial statement, the kidnappers identified themselves as "Islamic Response," the security wing of the "National Islamic Resistance - 1920 Revolution Brigades" referring to the uprising against the British after World War I.
Saturday's claim on Hassoun's death was issued on the same Islamic extremist Web forum where footage was posted last month showing the beheading of U.S. engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr, in Saudi Arabia. The site also often carries claims of attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant said to be operating in Iraq (news - web sites).
Al-Zarqawi's movement claimed responsibility for the beheading of Kim Sun-il, a South Korean who worked for a company delivering supplies to American forces, and Nicholas Berg, an American businessman, whose body was found in Baghdad in May. Johnson's slaying was claimed by al-Qaida-linked militants in Saudi Arabia, and pictures of his severed head were posted on the Internet.
Another militant group in Iraq claimed last week that it had killed Spc. Keith M. Maupin, an American soldier who had been held captive since April. The military has not yet confirmed that Maupin was shown in grainy video footage of a man being shot in the back of the head.
Hassoun, from West Jordan, Utah, was last seen about a week before the videotape was broadcast, the military said.
Hassoun's kidnappers originally claimed that militants had "infiltrated" a U.S. military base and "lured" him off post before capturing him.
The U.S. military said Hassoun had been absent without authorization since July 20, though after the video was shown it listed his status as "captured."
The New York Times, citing a Marine officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has reported on its Web site that Hassoun had been traumatized after seeing one of his sergeants killed by a mortar, and was trying to make his way back to Lebanon. The officer told the paper that Hassoun sought the help of Iraqis on the base, was betrayed by them, and was handed over the extremists.
Hassoun's eldest brother, Mohammad, who lives in a Salt Lake City suburb, denied the report.
Ansar al-Sunna Army claimed responsibility for the twin suicide attacks on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party offices in Irbil on Feb. 1 that killed 109 people.
At the time, the U.S. military in Iraq believed the group was an offshoot of Ansar al-Islam, but this view later changed. There has been speculation that the group was formed from among Iraqi followers of the strict Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam, which is widely followed in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Critics of the sect accuse it of fostering extremism.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040703/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_marine_killed
Ellie
Prayers....God Bless