Gunmen execute 'traitors' in Iraqi market

Iraqi gunmen drove into a crowded Iraqi market today, pulled two handcuffed men out of the boot and shot and killed them in a display meant to send a message to residents not to co-operate with US-led forces, police and witnesses said.

“This is the destiny of traitors,” the gunmen yelled as they shot their victims in Baqouba, a mostly Sunni city about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, police and witnesses said.

Many Iraqis who work as policemen or soldiers, or as translators for American forces, keep their jobs secret and wear face masks to avoid being recognised and later killed by Sunni insurgent groups or Shiite militias that oppose the US coalition as occupiers of Iraq.

The eight gunmen in two cars drove into the bustling market in central Baqouba, opened the boot, pulled out one handcuffed man and repeatedly shot him in the head, police and witnesses said.

The gunmen then drove to a nearby cinema, pulled the other man out of the trunk and publicly killed him, police said.

The shootings occurred during morning rush hour in Baqouba.