Two American troops were killed by small arms fire at a checkpoint in Baghdad, the U.S. command said Monday. The soldiers were killed Sunday at a traffic control point jointly manned by Iraqi security forces, the military said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Italian Foreign Ministry has notified the family of a kidnapped Iraqi businessman who was a longtime resident of Italy that he has been killed in Iraq, the businessman's brother said Monday, according to The AP.
Ajad Anwar Wali was kidnapped at the end of August from his office in Baghdad.
Reports of the man's death were first carried on an Arab TV station.
Iyad Anwar Wali, who worked for a furniture company, had lived in Italy since the early 1980s and was married to an Italian woman. According to his brother, Wali had formally applied for Italian citizenship and the request had been pending.
Earlier, a video showing the killings of two men who identified themselves as an Italian of Iraqi origin and a Turk was distributed in Iraq.
The video, dated October 2, shows an armed man reading a statement accusing the men of spying. The men were later shot.
According to Reuters, the Italian-Iraqi, who identified himself as Iyad Anwar Wali, said he met a man in Baghdad who introduced him to Iranian agents and then later met Turkish, American and Israeli agents. (albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
