WAR: Mosul victim beheaded at roadside, page 1

Four men in their twenties and thirties were killed by gunmen yesterday in the city of Mosul. At least three of the men appeared to be foreigners, two of them possibly westerners. The killed men are said to have been carrying small arms which suggests they were either contractors or bodyguards of business men. One of the men tried to escape by running away but was caught by the insurgents and beheaded by the side of the road. The car was then set on fire. After a quiet period in the city, it appears insurgents are once again targeting foreigners.

www.guardian.co.uk
Four people were killed, including at least three who appeared to be foreigners, when gunmen attacked a car in the northern Iraq city of Mosul yesterday.

One of the victims tried to run to safety but was caught by the insurgents and beheaded by the side of the road, witnesses said. Two of the dead men appeared to be westerners.

The killings suggest that the insurgency is starting once again to target foreigners in Iraq after a lull of several weeks. Militants claimed on Thursday they had killed an Italian aid worker near the western town of Ramadi. The attack yesterday happened at an intersection in central Mosul, Iraq's third largest city. Gunmen fired on a white Chevrolet saloon car as it passed by and then set it on fire, witnesses said.

A photographer working for Reuters who was at the scene said three of the dead appeared to be foreigners, one Turkish and the other two western. The fourth man, apparently the driver, was an Arab.

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As the article mentions, there has been a lull in the targeting of foreigners lately. With the Iraqi campaigns for leadership of the country having begun it seems the insurgents are once again targeting foreign workers. Also places designated as voting points are also now the targets for violence.

What I find most puzzling about this event is why the attackers chose to behead one of the victims rather than shooting him. It has to be symbolic in nature.

At first I was also surprised that the man running away did not try to shoot back. Although after thinking about what I would likely try to do in a situation where I had just seen my colleagues killed, I too would have likely tried to run.

Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk
www.reuters.com

[edit on 18-12-2004 by Banshee]