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http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07060023.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net — E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Monday, June 4, 2007

Two Assyrian Baghdad US Embassy employees killed by Al-Qaeda

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (ANS) — An Assyrian couple that worked for the US embassy in Baghdad has been killed by an al Qaeda-led group. The couple was killed on Monday, May 28. According to Reuters, after the husband went missing late last week his wife went to look for him and then she too appeared to have been abducted.

U.S officials, who wish to remain anonymous, told AINA, the Assyrian International News Agency (www.aina.org) , the couple’s car was stopped and the husband was abducted while the terrorists screamed “you filthy Christian traitor.” When the wife, Amal, attempted to deliver the ransom to the kidnappers, described as a Sunni group, she was killed.

According to AINA, the self-styled “Islamic State of Iraq” said in a statement published on the Internet “God’s ruling has been implemented against two of the most prominent agents and spies of the worshippers of the Cross...a man and woman who occupy an important position at the U.S. embassy...The swords of the security personnel of the Islamic State of Iraq...are with God’s grace slitting the throats of crusaders and their aides and lackeys.”

AINA reported the group said it was able to acquire a large amount of money from them. It did not give further details.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said only that two local Baghdad embassy employees were missing. “There are two local national employees of the embassy in Baghdad who are missing. Their whereabouts, at this point, are unknown,” Casey told reporters in Washington. “We do have concerns about their welfare.”

** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.