WAR: Video Shows Beheading of American Civilian Nick Berg by Al Qaeda Group

American civilian contractor Nick Berg, of Philadelphia PA, was apparently executed in Iraq by a group claiming to be affiliated with Al Qaeda. He has been missing since April 9th. The video is being shown on the radical Islamic website Muntada al-Ansar and is reported to show top Al Qaeda lieutenant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi carrying out the beheading.

news.yahoo.com

The video showed five men wearing headscarves and black ski masks, standing over a bound man in an orange jumpsuit who identified himself as an American from Philadelphia.

After reading a statement, the men were seen pulling the man to his side and cutting off his head with a large knife. They then held the head out before the camera.

The statement read, "For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage with some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused. So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins ... slaughtered in this way."

After reading the statement, the masked men pushed Berg to the ground, held him down, and executed him, shouting "Allahu Akbar" over the man's screams. The action took nearly a full minute. The hooded figure used a knife of some sort that had been tucked in his belt, and made many passes with it before the beheading was complete. They then held his head up to the camera.

Berg was 26 years old. His decapitated body was found Saturday in Baghdad.

Related Stories:
Reuters
CNN
BBC


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Fishy Circumstances and Flawed Timelines Surround American's Beheading
New View on Nick Berg
Is Aljazeera watching us? Re: Nick Berg






[Edited on 15-5-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

F@ck there Abuse, I am sure this solider had nothing to do with it, THey are using it as an excuse.

Time to take the gloves off. I have no more compassion for these people.

So far that is the only story I have seen about this incident. If true, it is extremely sick. I say we pull our troops and let those (censored) psychotic (censored) kill each other without our help.



[Edited on 5-11-2004 by JediMaster]

Lol ok you beat me to it so ill reply on yours!

www.reuters.com...


This is from reuters

DUBAI (Reuters) - A video tape of a Qaeda-linked group in Iraq beheading a man said to be an American was shown on an Islamist Web site Tuesday and the group vowed more executions as revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

ImAlreadyPsycho, Can you remove the profanity from your post please. It's not acceptable here.

EDIT: Thanks.


[Edited on 11-5-2004 by Zzub]

I have also been hearing that this was the American whos body was found on the weekend!

I would say profanity is a natural response in this situation.

They haven't been able to verify the authenticity of the tape yet but if it's legit, that is some really f'd up #e.

[Edited on 11-5-2004 by AceOfBase]

They say it was for the revenge of Iraqi prisoners. Now, already, I see people calling for revenge for the revenge of that. Where does it end? I think it's time to admit we made a mistake, we lost, let's get our soldiers home.

Originally posted by ImAlreadyPsycho
So far that is the only story I have seen about this incident. If true, it is extremely sick. I say we pull our troops and let those [deleted] psychotic [guys] kill each other without our help.

Just like the american soldiers commiting abuse, we have to hope this is the exception, not the rule. We've heard reports of the abuses done to our troops and contract workers (still waiting for an appology over the guys hung from the bridge) but it hasn't happened often enough to seem like the norm. Remember, this is an Al' Queda group, not an Iraqi group, and Al' Queda, all of Al' Queda, is going to be killed or captured eventually.

NM, already posted.

[Edited on 11-5-2004 by AceOfBase]

You do have a good point junglejake. Just like those bad soldiers don't represent all of US, those jerks who did the be-heading don't represent everyone in Iraq. Let's try to calm our bloodlust with reason. When we tortured, raped, and killed, Iraq prisoners (before you say we didn't, google it), people were shouting 'It's just a couple of bad apples' . Now that a group has done this terrible and senseless act, everyone is screaming 'Let's kill them all!'

Where's the liberal outcry over this? There won't be any, they don't care about Americans getting killed, just terrorist getting nude and having underwear on their head.

Its too late to pull out of Iraq, if we do now it will make America and the Coalition look like cowards. Its time we get more agressive with these scumbags.

[SARCASM]

Oh, please allow me to apologize for my language. I forget we live in a perfectly clean world where there is no unclean words, and there is no murder, rape, war, nudity, etc etc etc. Please accept my apologies, and I am sorry I offended.

[?END SARCASM]

On the tape, the man identified himself as Nick Berg before the execution.

"My name is Nick Berg, my father's name is Michael...I have a brother and sister, David and Sarah," said the man, who was shown bound and seated in a chair in the poor quality tape carried on Muntada al-Ansar Islamist Web site.

Reuters

Isn't that unusual for the news services to give out the persons name?
Didn't they withhold Hamill's name until after they notified his family?

[Edited on 11-5-2004 by AceOfBase]

The problem we have here is that did they really do this in response???

This is Al' Queda group! they will say this just to gain strength,

remember the US blackouts they were quick to jump in on that one ect...

Two wrongs do not make a right for Gods sake.
Everyone should be outraged by this and all attrocities committed in the name of revenge. Look I am no poly-anna about war but if we say we are the most civilized of the world, let's start acting that way.

Oh and let's punish all who commit these crimes, whether they are american, iraqi or any other nationality.

The source of all the problems in the world is that little rule that so many people see fit to live by, telling themselves it's a just undertaking... Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life. Wonder how far we could trace that one back? Too bad nobody thinks of that, when they're making these actions...

It's to late for pulling out in my opinion... that would be like only mowing half the lawn when you live on a quarter acre. I don't agree with the war... I do agree that Saddam shoulda been KO'd though... but we can't go in, topple their government and then leave them with nothing.

If a country whose government was different from my own came in, knocked out my government, then tried to force their ideals on me, you better bet that I'd have an opinion about it, and so would many others... who own guns.

I agree with JediMaster. There will be no media outcry over this. Just as there was no media outcry over the abuses suffered by our soliders prior to the prisoner abuse scandal. Its only a bad thing when the US does it to Iraqis. Its OK when the Iraqis do it to US citizens. What a crock. I say we commend our soldiers for having the self control to just humilate their prisoners knowing that if it was them held prisoner they would be tortured, most likely to death - as illustrated by the article beginning this thread.

"Kill them all and let God sort it out." - the bad guy in Needful Things.

DUBAI (Reuters) - A video tape of a Qaeda-linked group in Iraq beheading a man said to be an American was shown on an Islamist Web site Tuesday and the group vowed more executions as revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Ahh yes, the proportionate response for those naked men on leashes and those debunked porn-rape videos still circulating in the Arab media.
"Eye for an eye"......

And your right Jedi...just where is that liberal, anti-war, anti-Bush condemnation at this?



seekerof

[Edited on 11-5-2004 by Seekerof]

I'm waiting for Kerry to condem this action and in 2 weeks, say they were right to retaliate.

And somehow this will be Bush's fault in their eyes.