According to Reuters, the Abu Ghraib backlash has begun.
DUBAI (Reuters) - An Islamist web site showed a videotape Tuesday of an al Qaeda-linked group beheading an American and vowing more executions as revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. The poor quality tape showed a man sitting on the floor with five masked men behind him. After one of the masked men read out a statement, they pushed the bound man to the floor, cutting off his head and holding it aloft. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the tape carried on Muntada al-Ansar Islamist Web site. 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.
My gut says this is legit.
UPDATE: 05/01/2004 It is.
The 26-year-old Berg was a self-employed civilian contractor from suburban Philadelphia. He was found dead near a highway overpass in Baghdad. Berg's mother says he'd been in Iraq doing contract work to repair the country's infrastructure. She says he'd been missing since April 9th. The military says there were signs of trauma to the body.The media had better start decrying this one right fucking now. They've been focusing solely on relatively benign prisoner abuse for hours on end for over a week now. They have made this into the firestorm that it has become. They had better spend some time putting it out. I know. I won't be holding my breath, either. UPDATE II:
"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage for some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused," says a hooded man standing behind the American. "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."
Let me repeat that just in case you skimmed over the details: "...the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls."
Posted by Kathy at May 1, 2004 01:14 PM | TrackBack