We’ve killed two Italian women, claim militants

An internet statement by a group which had claimed to have kidnapped two women aid workers in Iraq has said that it has killed its hostages.

The website where the statement by the Jihad Organisation was posted has not been regularly used by Iraqi militants to relay their statements.

The Islamic Jihad Organisation in Iraq is the second group to have claimed to be holding the Italian women.

It said in a statement 10 days ago that it was holding the women. But another group, Zawhri supporters, had claimed the kidnapping before the Jihad statement.

Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both 29, were seized from their Baghdad offices by militants on September 7. They worked for Un Ponte Per … (“A Bridge to …”) and were involved in school and water projects in Iraq.

“We in the Jihad Organisation of Iraq declared that the verdict of God Almighty against the two Italian prisoners has been carried out, by slaughtering them,” said the statement.

“This is after the Italian government headed by the vile Berlusconi ignored our only condition to withdraw from Iraq.

“We in the Jihad Organisation warn the Italian government of directing our blows at it and will continue our blows against it and against any foreigner who lives in Iraq,” the statement said.