Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
BAGHDAD, Dec 31 (AFP) - Five Sudanese hostages held by Al-Qaeda in Iraq were
reported on Saturday to have been freed, as at least 14 people were killed
in a series of attacks across the country.
A day after Khartoum shut down its embassy in Baghdad in line with the
kidnappers' demands, Al-Jazeera television said the Sudanese foreign
ministry has announced the release of the five hostages, who included a
diplomat.
The Iraqi government in Baghdad was unable to confirm the report.
Al-Qaeda on Thursday claimed the kidnapping of five Sudanese in an Internet
statement, giving Khartoum 48 hours to break off diplomatic relations with
Baghdad, close its embassy and "withdraw all its representatives" in Iraq.
Khartoum then closed down its embassy in Baghdad and withdrew its diplomats
on Friday.
Six Sudanese nationals, including the embassy's second secretary Abdel Monem
al-Huri and four embassy employees, had been seized by unknown assailants
while exiting a mosque in the Iraqi capital, Sudanese officials said.
The sixth hostage, whom Khartoum had called "a friend" of one of the
employees, was not mentioned by the Al-Qaeda group.
The group said it had "arrested five employees of the Sudanese embassy in
Baghdad, including 'diplomats'", in a statement signed by the Al-Qaeda
branch, headed by Iraq's most-wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
One of the five Sudanese who appeared in a video released by the militants,
who identified himself as the embassy's second secretary, asked his
government to obey the kidnappers.
The militant group headed by Zarqawi, who is Iraq's most-wanted man, has
claimed numerous beheadings and murders of foreign hostages.
Most recently, the group claimed responsibility for the murder of two
Algerians on July 27 after they had been kidnapped days earlier. On July 7
the group also said it had kidnapped and killed the Egyptian charge
d'affaires in Baghdad.
In recent weeks, the Jordanian ambassador's driver, a Frenchman, a Briton,
an American and two Canadians have also recently been seized in the Iraqi
capital.
Another three people, one of them a policeman, were kidnapped to the east of
ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit in northern Iraq, police
said.
An official from Iraq's electoral commission, charged with counting the
ballots from the December 15 election, said a team of expert assessors would
shortly be arriving in the country to look into allegations of electoral
fraud.
"The mission is made up of four people -- two high level Arab League
representatives, a former Canadian member of parliament and a university
professor representing the European Union," said Adel Lamy.
The team will help evaluate the election results and meet representatives
from a number of Sunni-based and secular parties who have alleged wide-scale
electoral fraud.
Final election results are expected to be announced after the team ends its
mission, possibly next week.
Meanwhile, at least 14 people were killed in a series of attacks, including
five people who were killed in a bombing targeting a Sunni-based political
party in Iraq.
The deadly explosion outside the local headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic
Party in Khalis, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Baghdad killed five
people and wounded two.
Two of those killed were men guarding the building, according to Mohammed
Ahmed, an Islamic Party official.
Four policemen and four civilians were killed in two bomb and a mortar
attacks in Baghdad, while a policeman was also shot dead in the north of the
capital.
Five bodies were also found south of the capital. Four were found in a small
river and one, half buried and who had been tortured, was found in an
orchard.
reported on Saturday to have been freed, as at least 14 people were killed
in a series of attacks across the country.
A day after Khartoum shut down its embassy in Baghdad in line with the
kidnappers' demands, Al-Jazeera television said the Sudanese foreign
ministry has announced the release of the five hostages, who included a
diplomat.
The Iraqi government in Baghdad was unable to confirm the report.
Al-Qaeda on Thursday claimed the kidnapping of five Sudanese in an Internet
statement, giving Khartoum 48 hours to break off diplomatic relations with
Baghdad, close its embassy and "withdraw all its representatives" in Iraq.
Khartoum then closed down its embassy in Baghdad and withdrew its diplomats
on Friday.
Six Sudanese nationals, including the embassy's second secretary Abdel Monem
al-Huri and four embassy employees, had been seized by unknown assailants
while exiting a mosque in the Iraqi capital, Sudanese officials said.
The sixth hostage, whom Khartoum had called "a friend" of one of the
employees, was not mentioned by the Al-Qaeda group.
The group said it had "arrested five employees of the Sudanese embassy in
Baghdad, including 'diplomats'", in a statement signed by the Al-Qaeda
branch, headed by Iraq's most-wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
One of the five Sudanese who appeared in a video released by the militants,
who identified himself as the embassy's second secretary, asked his
government to obey the kidnappers.
The militant group headed by Zarqawi, who is Iraq's most-wanted man, has
claimed numerous beheadings and murders of foreign hostages.
Most recently, the group claimed responsibility for the murder of two
Algerians on July 27 after they had been kidnapped days earlier. On July 7
the group also said it had kidnapped and killed the Egyptian charge
d'affaires in Baghdad.
In recent weeks, the Jordanian ambassador's driver, a Frenchman, a Briton,
an American and two Canadians have also recently been seized in the Iraqi
capital.
Another three people, one of them a policeman, were kidnapped to the east of
ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit in northern Iraq, police
said.
An official from Iraq's electoral commission, charged with counting the
ballots from the December 15 election, said a team of expert assessors would
shortly be arriving in the country to look into allegations of electoral
fraud.
"The mission is made up of four people -- two high level Arab League
representatives, a former Canadian member of parliament and a university
professor representing the European Union," said Adel Lamy.
The team will help evaluate the election results and meet representatives
from a number of Sunni-based and secular parties who have alleged wide-scale
electoral fraud.
Final election results are expected to be announced after the team ends its
mission, possibly next week.
Meanwhile, at least 14 people were killed in a series of attacks, including
five people who were killed in a bombing targeting a Sunni-based political
party in Iraq.
The deadly explosion outside the local headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic
Party in Khalis, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Baghdad killed five
people and wounded two.
Two of those killed were men guarding the building, according to Mohammed
Ahmed, an Islamic Party official.
Four policemen and four civilians were killed in two bomb and a mortar
attacks in Baghdad, while a policeman was also shot dead in the north of the
capital.
Five bodies were also found south of the capital. Four were found in a small
river and one, half buried and who had been tortured, was found in an
orchard.