Islamic State in Iraq (Al-Qaeda) Abducts, Executes Iraqi Interior Ministry Employees in Diyala Province
Between March 2 and March 4, 2007, Islamist websites posted three communiqués by the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) reporting the abduction and execution of Iraqi interior ministry employees in Diyala province. These communiqués followed an announcement by the Iraqi government reporting the abduction of 14 Interior Ministry employees in the province.
The first communiqué, of March 2, stated that the ISI had abducted 18 Interior Ministry employees in Diyala in retaliation for the actions of "those apostates" against the Sunnis, and especially for the rape of Sabrin Al-Janabi. The ISI made two demands: that the officers who participated in Al-Janabi's rape be handed over to the ISI, and that all Sunni women be released from Iraqi jails. The message threatened that the prisoners would be executed unless the demands were met within 24 hours.
The second communiqué, of March 3, 2007, reported the execution of 14 interior ministry employees who had been abducted on March 1, 2007. The message stressed that these were not the 14 individuals whose abduction had been reported by the Iraqi authorities, but that there were two groups of abductees, all of whom had been executed. The communiqué further stated that the operations were part of the "Plan of Honor" announced by ISI commander Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi.
On March 4, Islamist websites posted a four-minute video, produced by Al-Furqan, titled "The Implementation of the Death Sentence against the Interior Ministry Employees in Diyala Province." The video shows a group of 18 blindfolded individuals and a man aiming a gun at them. An announcer then reads out the third communiqué, which also appears written on the screen. This communiqué repeats the text of the first message, of March 2, and then adds that since the Al-Maliki government had failed to respond to the ultimatum, "the ISI Shari'a Court has ordered the implementation of the death sentence." The video then shows the prisoners kneeling in a row and being shot by two masked terrorists.
The video, with graphic content removed, can be viewed at: http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=658877&ak=null.
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Below are images from the video:
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Claims Responsibility for Attack on Stroytransgaz Employees
In a communiqué posted on Islamist websites on March 5, 2007, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the March 4, 2007 attack in Algeria, in which a roadside bomb was detonated near a bus carrying employees of the Russian company Stroytransgaz, killing three Algerians and one Russian. The communiqué stated that the unit responsible for the attack was commanded by Sheikh Asem Abu Hayyan, and that the operation was a gift to "our Muslim brothers in Chechnya who are being oppressed and slaughtered by the criminal Putin government with the support of Russian people." The communiqué also stated that the operation was part of a series of attacks recently carried out in "Region Two," commanded by Sufyan Abu Haydra.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Threatens the Algerian Army and Those Collaborating With It
On March 5, 2007, Islamist websites posted a communiqué by Abu Mus'ab Abd Al-Wadoud, commander of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, in which he condemns those who collaborate with the Algerian army against the mujahideen, and urges them to repent. In the beginning of the message, Al-Wadoud accuses the Algerian army of fighting for the separation of state and religion, of leading the country to financial and cultural bankruptcy, and of forging ties with Jews and Christians. He urges "all those who have fallen into helping the enemy and fighting Islam and the mujahideen" to return to Islam, stressing that those who repent will not be held accountable for previous actions against the mujahideen, and will not be asked to fight alongside the mujahideen but only to stop acting against them. Finally, Al-Wadoud threatens that anyone who does not sever his ties with the Algerian army will be killed.
