Arab Website Reports 2 Soldiers Found Beheaded (Updated) :: Iraq

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May 19, 2007

Arab Website Reports 2 Soldiers Found Beheaded (Updated)

Topics: Iraq

Let me make it absolutely clear that I do NOT believe this to be credible, and am even reluctant to put it up. Nothing has been seen on any other news source, and Petraeus is saying otherwise. The only real news here may be that an Arab language site is reporting the soldiers decapitated remains having been found, not that it actually happened. This site could easily be just a propaganda site, although the agency appears to have access to local information that I have verified in better known media sources.

However, HAQ News Agency, an Arab language site (with a broken English version), reports in what it calls an "exclusive" that two of the soldiers have been found decapitated. The English translation is quite rough and broken, as may be the truth of the story (hat tip - Infovlad):

"Finding the bodies of two American soldiers with gotten head cut in al-Mahmoudia"

HAQ agency- exclusive

... After six days of continuous search for the three soldiers captured the American occupation forces found today the bodies with gotten head cut related to two of the three soldiers captured in which the third soldiers fate is unknown so far.

... Police sources in the city of Mahmoudia said to our correspondent that the two bodies were found near one of their orchards in the city have appeared severe torture signs and with gotten head cut and the American forces that monitored 200 thousand dollar award to whom give them any information that led them to him, in which it continued searching for the third soldier in which third thousands of American soldiers deployed along with government forces, accompanied by air cover involving fighter planes, helicopters and unmanned spy planes in different parts of the city areas of Mahmoudia, Latifiyah and Yusufiyah, hoping to find any evidence to lead to them to the third soldier.

Again, the only real news here may be the news that an Arab language site is reporting the soldiers decapitated remains having been found, not that it actually happened.

Before I believe this I want to hear it from the U.S. military. Until then, I find no reason to believe this report to be credible. What's interesting, however, is that the site is reporting it as both fact and an exclusive. The only thing I know about the site is what I know from the links, which lead me to believe it is an "Islamist" anti-coalition site, and appears to be Sunni (as in insurgent-friendly if not associated).

Interestingly, on May 18 HAQ news agency reported that ten coalition helicopters were destroyed in a mortar attack on the American air base in Taji, and this has also been reported elsewhere.

Update: Nothing on the major news sources about this but I did manage to find this reference to decapitated heads being found in the river at Al-yousfiya, along with news about 900 citizens being arrested. It's reported here that the heads were found 3 days ago. Makes me doubt it's our soldiers.

Update 2: Just found an English reference here...

IraqSlogger carried the story 14 hours ago...

I'm still not believing that the heads have anything to do with our missing soldiers, yet.

Images where the attack occurred: