Al Qaeda says it has executed envoy
Iraq's president calls for a war against extremists
BAGHDAD -- Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq claimed yesterday that it had killed Egypt's top envoy, who was abducted by gunmen last weekend, and warned it would go after ''as many ambassadors as we can" to punish countries that support Iraq's US-backed leadership.
Iraq's chief government spokesman said the killing and yesterday's bombings in London show that terrorism ''is not only targeting Iraqis, but everyone." An Egyptian official in Cairo said Egypt would temporarily close its mission here and has recalled its staff.
Iraq's president, meanwhile, called for a ''war of annihilation" against foreign Islamic extremists, as at least eight people were killed in violence yesterday.
The announcement from Iraq's most feared terror group appeared on a Qaeda-linked website and featured a brief video showing the blindfolded diplomat, Ihab al-Sherif, wearing a polo shirt. The video did not show his death, but the statement promised more details later.
''We announce in the name of Al Qaeda in Iraq that the verdict of God against the ambassador of the infidels, the ambassador of Egypt, has been carried out. Thank God," a written statement said, adding, ''Iraq is no longer safe for the infidels."
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry offered condolences for the ''assassination," and an Egyptian diplomat who spoke to reporters in Cairo said the government was sure Sherif was dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity and did not elaborate.
News of the killing marked a dramatic escalation in a campaign to discourage Arab and Muslim governments from sending ambassadors and strengthening ties with Iraq, as Washington wants. Last month, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that Egypt would be the first Arab country to upgrade its diplomatic representation by appointing an ambassador.
Government spokesman Laith Kubba said the apparent killing, coupled with the explosions yesterday in London, which killed at least 37 people and wounded hundreds, ''confirms that terrorism is not only targeting Iraqis, but everyone."
In Cairo, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak insisted his country will continue to support Iraq.
''This terrorist act will not deter Egypt from its firm position in support of Iraq and its people," the statement said. ''Al-Sherif lost his life at the hands of terrorism that trades in Islam but knows no nation and no religion."
Sherif, 51, was seized Saturday in Baghdad. Three days later, gunmen fired on senior envoys from Pakistan and Bahrain, two Muslim nations with close ties to the United States, in apparent kidnap attempts.
In its latest statement, Al Qaeda said it did not announce Sherif's kidnapping until after the subsequent attacks ''to be able to capture as many ambassadors as we can."
In Najaf, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, called for a ''war of annihilation" against Al Qaeda and other groups that include foreign Islamic extremists.
''They have declared a war of annihilation against Iraqis, Shi'ites, and Kurds as well as Sunni Arabs who don't agree with their acts," he said. ''Let us launch a war of annihilation against foreign criminals who came from abroad to fight the Iraqi people."
Iraqi officials, meanwhile, sought to assure foreign governments that their diplomats would be safe. Officials said Sherif, a former deputy ambassador to Israel, was abducted in a dangerous neighborhood while traveling without armed escorts.
''All Arab and Muslim states are invited to prove their seriousness in fighting terrorism by sending their ambassadors, which is a message in itself to show their keenness in fighting terrorism," the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Egypt's UN ambassador asked the UN Security Council yesterday to address the issue of protecting diplomats in Iraq. Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said the Security Council should address the issue ''in a manner which would secure the lives of those diplomats, not only of Egypt but of other countries who have been subject to such brutal attacks in the past few days."
The United Nations lost an envoy in Iraq in August 2003, when a bomb ripped through the world body's Baghdad headquarters. The UN withdrew from Iraq following the death of Sergio Vieira de Mello and 22 others, citing security concerns. It has since returned, though in far smaller numbers.
According to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry website, there are 46 foreign missions in Iraq, including 14 from predominantly Arab or Muslim countries. The numbers include Egypt.
The United States has been urging Arab states to upgrade their missions to show that Iraq's government has won acceptance from its neighbors.
Saad Mohammed Ridha, the head of Iraq's diplomatic mission in Cairo, said Egypt's foreign ministry told him late yesterday that the mission would close temporarily, and that the staff was being recalled.
In violence yesterday:
