Italian journalist executed

2004-08-27 00:06

Doha - An Islamist group has executed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni in Iraq, Arabic-language satellite news channel Al-Jazeera reported on Thursday.

Baldoni's captors, a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq, had on Tuesday threatened to kill their hostage unless Italy withdrew its 3 000 troops from Iraq within 48 hours.

The Italian government initially rejected the kidnappers' ultimatum, saying it would maintain its "civil and military" presence in Iraq, but early on Thursday Rome said it was prepared to pull its soldiers out if the interim government in Baghdad requested it.

Baldoni's colleagues at Italian weekly Diario were stunned by the report of his death.

"We were so optimistic. We couldn't believe he wouldn't get out," Baldoni's colleague Gianni Barbacetto, told AFP.

Baldoni, 56, disappeared last week on the road to the holy Shiite city of Najaf, the scene of fierce fighting between US and Iraqi troops and Shiite militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr.

A group purporting to be linked to al-Qaeda has also threatened, in several statements posted on the internet since mid-July, to attack Italian targets if the Rome government, a staunch supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq, does not pull its troops out of the oil-rich country.

- AFP