Islamist Group Executes Italian Hostage In Iraq: Al- Jazeera

DOHA, Aug 27 (AFP) - An Islamist group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq has executed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, whom it was holding hostage, Arabic-language satellite news channel Al-Jazeera reported late Thursday.
The Qatar-based channel said it had received a videotape showing the journalist after his execution, but had decided not to release it as it would be too shocking for viewers.
Al-Jazeera quoted a statement attributed to the kidnappers saying the Italian had been slain under sharia law.
It said the decision "was taken after the refusal by Italy to reply favourably to the demand (by the group) to withdraw its soldiers from Iraq within 48 hours."
Baldoni's captors had on Tuesday threatened to kill their hostage unless Italy withdrew its 3,000 troops from Iraq within 48 hours. Their threat came in a video also broadcast by Al-Jazeera.
The Italian government, a staunch supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq, initially rejected the kidnappers' ultimatum, saying it would maintain its "civil and military" presence in the oil-rich country.
But early on Thursday Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Rome was prepared to pull its soldiers out if the interim government in Baghdad requested it.
Italian sources in Iraq confirmed the Al-Jazeera report of Baldoni's death to Italy's Ansa news agency.
"These are horrifying pictures," said one Italian source who had seen the videotape. An Italian civil servant was heading for Qatar to obtain a copy of the video, Ansa said.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reacted immediately after Baldoni's death had been confirmed.
"There are no words for an inhuman act which at one swoop wipes out centuries of civilisation and returns us to the dark times of barbarism," Berlusconi said in a message of condolences to the family of the 56-year-old journalist, who was married with two children.
The prime minister expressed his compassion and solidarity, while stressing his "firm determination to fight terrorism".
Speaking at his villa in Sardinia, Berlusconi added: "Italy will maintain its fidelity to the commitments it has made with the provisional Iraqi government in the framework of the UN deliberations to return peace and democracy to Iraq."
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said in a message to Baldoni's family that all Italians were in mourning.
Baldoni's colleagues at Milan 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, who also worked as a Red Cross volunteer, 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.
The Islamic Army in Iraq has also claimed responsibility for the abduction of an Iranian diplomat, who went missing in Iraq earlier this month. And it has been blamed for the execution last month of two Pakistani workers taken hostage in Iraq.
Dozens of foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq by armed insurgents fighting the US-led multinational coalition, with the aim of putting pressure on the captives' governments or employers to leave the war-torn country.
Berlusconi's government, a staunch US ally, has already suffered one lengthy hostage crisis. Four Italians working for a private security firm were kidnapped in April. One was shot dead within days, but the three others were freed in June during an operation by US-led forces.
Another extremist 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 Rome does not pull its troops out of Iraq.