Beheading US-Marine: Perplexity Persists as Captors Refute
Pakistan Times Foreign Desk

BAGHDAD (Iraq): Confusion surrounded the entire world even on Sunday about the the fate of a US marine, who was kidnapped in Iraq and subsequently beheaded.

The militant group believed to be holding Wassef Ali Hassoun has denied executing him.

It was earlier reported the Coporal, who is of Lebanese descent and went missing in June, had been beheaded.

A group thought to be close to Al-Qaeda, said it had decapitated the marine. It made the claim in a statement posted on a website.

The Message

The message stated: "We would like to inform you that the Marine of Lebanese descent has been killed and you will soon see the movie with your own eyes."

It was signed in the name of the group's leader, Abu Abdullah al-Hassan bin Mahmoud.

US Spokesman

The US military in Baghdad said it was aware of the report of Corporal Hassoun's death and was checking into it.

On June-27, a pan-Arab satellite station broadcast a video showing the Marine with his hands tied and blindfolded.

In the video militants threatened to kill him unless the US released all Iraqis in "occupation jails".

Hopes Revived

Meanwhile, hopes revived for a missing US Marine after earlier reports he had been beheaded, while Iraq's new interim government prepared to unveil an amnesty for insurgents who played passive roles under the US occupation.

Violence Continues

Violence continued here, however, as three people were killed in a foiled suicide car-bombing against an Iraqi national guard station in the town of Baquba.

The former US overseer in Iraq, Paul Bremer, said the trial of ex Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein would do nothing to stem violence in the country as the former US military chief in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, said he had not believed the insurgency would last so long.

Iran, Syria Reax

Meanwhile, neighbouring Iran and Syria called for the rapid departure of foreign troops as Iraqi police said 11 Iraqis were injured by Polish soldiers who fired "indiscriminately" after an attack on one of their patrols. The statement was later rejected by the Poles.

The US military said it was "delighted" after fresh hope emerged for a Marine held hostage by Islamists in Iraq following reports he had been beheaded.

Al-Qaeda-linked group denied a statement issued in its name, claiming it had carried out its threat to decapitate Lebanese-born Wassef Ali Hassoun, who has been missing since June-21.

"We were suspicious about the initial announcement. We were not convinced about the credibility of the information," a senior US military official said on condition of anonymity.

Fate of Hassoun?

The group denied making the announcement but the fate of Hassoun remained a mystery as the group failed to confirm he was still alive.

A top government spokesman Gurgis Sada said the cabinet had approved an amnesty for some Iraqis who had played only minor roles in the insurgency.

The measure would be announced today, Monday, he said.

"The government has concluded that many Iraqis simply joined the so-called resistance (against the US-led coalition) because they had no means of living, had lost their job or were unemployed members of Iraq's old army," he said.

"As a result, the cabinet has decided to give these people a new chance."

The amnesty is aimed at curbing the daily round of attacks, which continued on Sunday, almost a week after Iraq regained its sovereignty.

The National Guards

National Guards said they shot dead a potential attacker as he tried to ram a guard post with an old Renault car in the centre of Baquba, 60 kilometres (36 miles) northeast of Baghdad.

Three would-be recruits for the force waiting at the post were killed and one was wounded in the crossfire, witnesses and medical sources said.

"The terrorists, the Zarqawi, Al-Qaeda terrorists, don't need any spurring on," Bremer told the "Fox News Sunday" program, partly referring to Al-Qaeda operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.

"They see correctly that as we go forward towards representative government in Iraq, it takes the entire base of their operations out from under them," he said adding, "They're at war."

Sanchez Leaves Post

Separately, Sanchez, who officially left his post Sunday, told France's Le Figaro newspaper in an article to be published Monday he was surprised by the length of the resistance.

"I don't believe we ever thought that our soldiers would still have to be fighting a year after" the fall of Baghdad, in April 2003, he said.

Sanchez, 52, was replaced by General George Casey after an abuse scandal at the US-run Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad was revealed by the media.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad both called for the quick departure of foreign troops from Iraqi soil, Washington still has some 140,000 troops here.

"The solution is the quick end to the occupation, the installation of a government comprising all elements of the Iraqi people and the cooperation of the international community to bring stability and reconstruction," Khatami said.

"We have always been in agreement with Iran on the need for Iraq's territorial integrity, a representative government and the departure of the occupying forces," said Assad, on a two-day visit to the Islamic republic.

Dossier from Iran

Iran, which fought a catastrophic eight-year war against the former Iraqi president, said it will soon file its dossier against Saddam, who was on Thursday charged with crimes against humanity in a single-judge Baghdad court.

Iraqis Injured

Eleven Iraqis were injured by Polish soldiers who fired "indiscriminately" after a bomb attack on one of their patrols, police said.

A spokesman for the Polish troops who are part of the multinational forces in Iraq denied any such incident occurred in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Baghdad.

An inquiry into flawed British intelligence on Iraq ahead of last year's war was set to criticise two of Britain's top spymasters and the government's chief legal officer, a London newspaper said.

Jeremy Blames Security

However, Britain's former envoy to Baghdad, Jeremy Greenstock, blamed the security headache in Iraq on US war planners who underestimated the scale of the task because of faulty analysis from US-linked Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi.

John Kerry on Reconstruction

As thousands of US soldiers stationed in Iraq celebrated US Independence Day, Democratic US presidential candidate John Kerry said more international assistance is needed for reconstruction efforts, including allowing foreign countries to enter the lucrative oil business.

"If we are to reduce the overwhelming military and financial burden America is bearing and maximize the chances of success, we will need help from others," he wrote in an opinion piece in an American daily on Sunday.●