Iraq group claims beheading

MILITANT groups posted internet videos yesterday claiming to have beheaded an Iraqi soldier and killed an alleged informant, while insurgents launched attacks that left four US troops dead.

The bombings and ambushes came after a relative lull in fighting, including the lowest monthly death toll for the US military in a year: 34 killed in March.

Iraqi lawmakers prepared to name a new Iraqi president yesterday, taking a step toward building a new government and writing a permanent constitution and thereby paving the way to an eventual withdrawal of US troops. Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was expected to get the job.