Al-Qaida abducts army officer

Al-Qaida in Iraq has said it has kidnapped an army colonel and his wife who is running in next month’s elections on the ticket of the ex-Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, according to an internet statement posted today.

The statement, which was posted on an extremist Islamist website, said Col Essam Khazail Marie Hassan and his wife, Majida Youssef Sayel, were abducted in Baghdad’s Doura neighbourhood yesterday.

The statement, which could not be immediately authenticated, claimed the hostages will face trial before an Islamic court to decide their fate.

Two identity cards – one in English and the other Arabic – were also posted showing Hassan’s name, rank and a photo of a middle aged man with a moustache wearing an army uniform.

Al-Qaida in Iraq, which is headed by Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has claimed responsibility for multiple kidnappings and beheadings of Iraqis, Arabs and foreigners.