Militants announce killing of Bulgarian hostage

[Snazzy]

Militants announce killing of Bulgarian hostage


BY MOHAMAD BAZZI
MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT

July 13, 2004, 7:32 PM EDT


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Islamic militants killed a Bulgarian hostage Tuesday and threatened to execute another within 24 hours, according to a videotape sent to the Al-Jazeera television network.

A militant group led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened last week to kill the two truck drivers unless the United States released thousands of Iraqi detainees by Saturday. Al-Jazeera said it had received a tape showing the execution of Georgi Lazov, 30, but decided not to air most of the video because it was "too gruesome." In Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, officials confirmed that one of the hostages had been executed, but they did not identify him.

Al-Jazeera broadcast footage of three masked men surrounding Lazov, who was kneeling, blindfolded and wearing an orange jumpsuit, the same posture as other hostages who have been executed by al-Zarqawi's group. The Tawhid and Jihad group has been blamed for the beheadings of U.S. businessman Nicholas Berg and South Korean translator Kim Sun-il.

The Philippine government, meanwhile, was awaiting word on the fate of a Filipino hostage who is being held by another militant group that has threatened to kill him unless Manila withdraws its 51 troops from Iraq. Tuesday the Philippine government issued a vague statement saying it would withdraw its forces as soon as it could. But the statement did not explain whether the contingent would leave Iraq before its scheduled pullout on Aug. 20.

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http://www.newsday.com/ny-wohost0714,0,1631909.story?coll=ny-top-span-headlines

Edit: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CBEA9675-8ABC-401C-8C5E-14B229BCA3B7.htm

Edit: AP: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&e=2&u=/ap/20040714/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Snazzy]

1. AFP: Bulgarian ... reportedly executed as US sends warning to Philippines

Bulgarian hostage reportedly executed as US sends warning to Philippines

Militants in Iraq executed a captive Bulgarian trucker, as the United States urged the Philippines not to fall to extremists' demands for an early withdrawal of its forces in a bid to save the life of a Filipino hostage.

The Arab satellite television Al-Jazeera said Tuesday it had received a video of the beheading purportedly carried out by the Tahid wal Jihad group led by suspected Al-Qaeda operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.

The Bulgarian government confirmed the execution.

The group threatened to kill a second Bulgarian hostage unless the US military released Iraqi prisoners within 24 hours, Al-Jazeera said.

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http://sg.news.yahoo.com/040713/1/3loid.html