Militants behead hostages in Iraq

A chilling video surfaced today purporting to show militants sawing off the heads of three Iraqi members of a Kurdish party for cooperating with American forces.

The videotape, posted on a site known for its Islamic militant content, shows three young men apparently identifying themselves.

Seconds later, each has his throat slit and his head placed on the back of his body.

A statement accompanying the tape was signed in the name of “Ansar al-Sunna Army.”

The statement said the three were members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party who had been captured in their truck near Taji, about 15 miles north of Baghdad.

It said the men were transporting military vehicles to an American base in Taji.

The emergence of the video came as violence continued to escalate across Iraq.

But Allawi, after a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London, said his interim government was determined “to stick to the timetable of the elections,” which are due by January 31.

“January next, I think, is going to be a major blow to terrorists and insurgents,” said Allawi, who is heading to the United Nations for this week’s General Assembly session.

“We are adamant that democracy is going to prevail, is going to win in Iraq.”

Allawi has been adamant about elections because of pressure from Iraq’s Shiite community and its supreme leader, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who fought for early elections fearing the interim arrangement would be prolonged.

The Shiites, who are in the majority in Iraq, are anxious to translate their numbers into political power.

Allawi also said that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his lieutenants would go on trial soon. “Roughly speaking, I think October,” Allawi said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week”.

He said he did not think the trial would take long because the evidence against Saddam was “overwhelming.”

He also noted that the death penalty – which was suspended during the US administration of Iraq – has been restored, but did not say whether he expected the ousted dictator to be executed if convicted.

Despite Allawi’s assurances, a surge of bombings, kidnappings and street fighting has claimed some 300 lives in the past week.

Meanwhile, US warplanes and artillery pounded the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah overnight and today, hitting a checkpoint manned by militants linked to alleged Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the military said.

At least two people were killed and six wounded in two separate strikes, hospital officials said.