Al-Qaida Video Shows Deaths Of 14 Iraqi Security Personnel

Thursday, June 14th 2007, 3:29 pm

By: News On 6

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ Al-Qaida-linked insurgents in Iraq released a videotape Thursday showing the execution-style deaths of 14 Iraqi soldiers and policemen after the expiration of a 72-hour deadline for the Iraqi government to meet the militants' demands.

The authenticity of the 1 1/2-minute video could not be verified, but it appeared on a Web site commonly used by Islamic militants and bore the logo of the Islamic State of Iraq's media production wing, al-Furqan.

The 14 hostages, in uniforms, were shown kneeling on the ground in a single line, blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their backs. An insurgent wearing a ski mask shot the men one by one in the back of the head from close range, causing them to tumble to the ground.

The killings took place in what looked like a rural area, with a grass field and several tall eucalyptus trees. A small wooden shack stood in the background.

In a statement that preceded the video footage, the Islamic State of Iraq said its religious court ``ruled that God's verdict should be implemented against the renegades.''

The group, whose demands include the release of all female prisoners in Iraqi prisons, had posted a separate video on Tuesday showing the 14 captive members in the same uniforms and threatened to kill them in 72 hours.