Posted on 08/26/2004 5:02:19 PM PDT by tomball
DOHA : An militant group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq has killed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni in Iraq, Arabic-language satellite news channel Al-Jazeera reported.
The Qatar-based channel did not give any further information. But Italian sources in Iraq confirmed the Al-Jazeera report of Baldoni's death to Italy's Ansa news agency."These are horrifying pictures," said one Italian source who had seen the videotape purportedly sent by Baldoni's kidnappers to Al-Jazeera. An Italian civil servant was heading for Qatar to obtain a copy of the video, Ansa said.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reacted immediately Baldoni's death had been confirmed.
"There are no words for an inhuman act which all at once (at one swoop) wipes out centuries of civilisation and returns us to the dark times of barbarism," Berlusconi said in a message of condolences to the family of the 56-year-old journalist, who was married with two children.
The prime minister expressed his compassion and solidarity, while stressing his "firm determination to fight terrorism".
Baldoni's captors had on Tuesday threatened to kill their hostage unless Italy withdrew its 3,000 troops from Iraq within 48 hours. Their threat came in a video also broadcast by Al-Jazeera.
The Italian government, a staunch supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq, initially rejected the kidnappers' ultimatum, saying it would maintain its "civil and military" presence in the oil-rich country.
But early on Thursday Rome said it was prepared to pull its soldiers out if the interim government in Baghdad requested it.
Baldoni's colleagues at Milan weekly Diario were stunned by the report of his death.
"We were so optimistic. We couldn't believe he wouldn't get out," Baldoni's colleague Gianni Barbacetto, told AFP.
Baldoni, who also worked as a Red Cross volunteer, disappeared last week on the road to the holy Shiite city of Najaf, the scene of fierce fighting between US and Iraqi troops and Shiite militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr.
The Islamic Army in Iraq has also claimed responsibility for the abduction of an Iranian diplomat, who went missing in Iraq earlier this month. And it has been blamed for the murder last month of two Pakistani workers taken hostage in Iraq.
Dozens of foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq by armed insurgents fighting the US-led multinational coalition, with the aim of putting pressure on the captives' governments or employers to leave the war-torn country.
Berlusconi's government, a staunch US ally, has already suffered one lengthy hostage crisis. Four Italians working for a private security firm were kidnapped in April. One was shot dead within days, but the three others were freed in June during an operation by US-led forces.
Another extremist group purporting to be linked to Al-Qaeda has also threatened, in several statements posted on the internet since mid-July, to attack Italian targets if Rome does not pull its troops out of Iraq.
Sad to say, but these 'executions' have lost their edge. Just like the 300 who die on the highways each day, it barely makes the news.
But do you wonder if it might make the Italians take a second look at their own Muslim infestation?
But in the US the point has already been made...but they will continue I fear.
Time to start capturing the subhuman Muslim filth, and televise their Military Tribunal Trial, sentence and execution, worldwide.
They're lowlife, degenerate, boy-buggering, women-chattelling, innocent-murdering, pigshit filth.
Islam isn't a religion; rather, it's a social and political system of complete dominance and total control of the mindless, supplicant adherents.
Islam must be totally eradicated/destroyed/eliminated worldwide, or civilization, as we now know it, will enter a thousand years of darkness and concurrent evil.
Unless we break free of, and destroy The Enemy Within™, first: we're screwed. The War On Terror™ will last for many, many years, and if we're not unfettered of internal enemies, we lose going in.
Islam is translated as "to submit" or "submission"
Muslim (Mooislam, but pronounced as mus-lam) is translated to "follower who submits" or "submissive follower" - pr Follower of Islam.
You are correct.
Islam is much more than a religion. It is a way of life.
It is dangerous as interpreted today.
of course, Mormons were always "peaceful" too . . . .
Maybe Al-Jazeera should stop giving them the means to make their demands public. Do we have their station and all their reporters under surveillance?
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