Iraq Gunmen Seize Second American in a Week
/Gunmen kidnapped a Lebanese-American businessman -- the second U.S.
citizen seized this week in Baghdad -- and videotape Wednesday showed
the beheadings of three Iraqi National Guardsmen and an Iraqi officer.
Elsewhere, a U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded in a roadside
bombing 12 miles south of the capital. A suicide driver detonated his
vehicle at a checkpoint near Baghdad airport, injuring nine Iraqis and
prompting U.S. troops to close the main route into the city for hours.
U.S. jets were in action again late Wednesday over Fallujah, striking
insurgent targets in the northeastern and southern parts of the city
where American forces are said to be gearing up for a major assault.
Residents reported fierce exchanges of fire after midnight on the edge
of the city. Gunmen killed a senior Oil Ministry official, Hussein Ali
al-Fattal, after he left his house Wednesday in the Yarmouk district of
western Baghdad, police said. Al-Fattal was the general manager of a
state-owned company that distributes petroleum byproducts. Al-Jazeera
television broadcast a threat by an unspecified armed group to strike
oil installations and government buildings if the Americans launch an
all-out assault on Fallujah. The report was accompanied by a videotape
showing about 20 armed men brandishing various weapons including a
truck-mounted machine gun. The violence served as grim reminder of
Iraq's rapidly deteriorating security situation, which President Bush
(news - web sites) must address now that he has won his long electoral
contest against Sen.
John Kerry, who conceded defeat Wednesday. [more]
John Kerry, who conceded defeat Wednesday. [more]
- Insurgents in Iraq have kidnapped more than 170 foreigners, including 13 Americans reported held captive or missing [more]
- Bin Laden Accuses Bush of Iraq Quagmire [more]
