Mutilated body of Western woman found

US Marines today found the mutilated body of what they believe was a Western woman during a sweep of a street in central Fallujah.

The body was lying in the street covered with a blood-soaked cloth. Marines fear the body may have been booby-trapped and have called in dogs to sniff for explosives.

Although the body has not been carefully examined, an un-named Marine officer said he was “80% sure” it was a Western woman.

Two Western women are known to have been kidnapped in Iraq.

Irish-born Margaret Hassan, 59, director of CARE international in Iraq, was abducted on October 19.

Teresa Borcz Khalifa, 54, a Polish-born long-time resident of Iraq, was seized last month.

Kidnappers of both had demanded, among other things, that foreign troops leave Iraq.