01/09/2004

Rioting follows 'gruesome murders' of 12 Nepalese

The barbaric executions of 12 Nepalese civilians in Iraq has led to severe rioting in Kathmandu, where angry protesters attacked a mosque and the offices of two Middle East airlines.

The civil unrest occurred after horrific video footage was posted up on a website showing the beheading of one man and the shooting of 11 other Nepalese who had been in Iraq working as caterers and cleaners.

The group had been held hostage by a terror group called Ansar al-Sunna since August 19.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan voiced his condemnation of the "gruesome murders" and said he was especially concerned by the cruel use of the killings as a public spectacle.

Mr Annan said he was "appalled and dismayed" by the murders and offered his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims.

Saying the taking of hostages or the killing of innocent civilians can never be justified, Mr Annan called for all hostages in Iraq to be released immediately and appealed to all sides to show respect for human life.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

18 November 2004
Mutilated body may be Margaret Hassan's: reports
Forensics test are being carried out on the mutilated corpse of a Western woman found in west Fallujah to assess whether it is the body of murdered aid worker Margaret Hassan, according to news agency reports emerging today.
19 July 2004
British soldier dies in Basrah helicopter crash
A British soldier has died after an RAF helicopter crashed in southern Iraq today. The MoD confirmed that the soldier was killed in "an accident" involving an RAF Puma helicopter at Basrah International Airport. Two other British military personnel were injured during the incident.
13 August 2004
UN's Iraq envoy calls for Najaf peace deal
The UN's Iraq envoy has called for a peaceful solution to the fighting currently raging in the holy Shiite Muslim city of Najaf.
16 April 2003
UN will have important role in Iraq says Blair
Prime Minister Tony Blair has said the UN's role in post-conflict Iraq should not simply be a humanitarian one but one that also involves "political and reconstruction issues", during a joint press conference with the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
09 December 2005
Fears grow as hostage deadline looms
There have been fresh calls for the release of four peace activists, including Briton Norman Kember, being held hostage in Iraq. Moazzam Begg, a former detainee at the Guantanamo Bay centre, has urged the kidnappers to release the hostages.