Nation & States  

Beheading of hostages: Iraq
group extends deadline 

What is India News Service, July 26, 2004, 1700 hrs IST

The militant Islamic group holding seven foreigners hostage in Iraq has extended its deadline, and repeated its demand that their Kuwaiti employer pull out of the country.

The group had threatened to behead the hostages on Monday. The hostages - three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian, all truck drivers for a Kuwaiti firm - were kidnapped last week by a little-known group calling itself the 'Black Banners' brigade of the Islamic Secret Army.

In a video tape released to news companies on Monday, a masked member of the group read out a statement as two armed and masked men stood at his side, behind the kneeling hostages.

The group said it had decided to extend the deadline in response to an appeal from Sheikh Hisham al-Dulami, the head of what Dulami calls the Detainees' Association and who on Sunday declared himself a negotiator for the hostages.

JMM won't join cabinet now: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha today said it was not joining the Union Cabinet for the time being but was solidly behind the United Progressive Alliance government.

NDA delegation meets president: An 18-member delegation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by L K  Advani and George Fernandes met president Abdul Kalam and requested him to advise prime minister Manmohan Singh to sack ministers facing criminal charges. This is the second time the NDA leaders are meeting the President on the same issue.

Neighbours

7 Karuna associates shot dead: In a pre-dawn massacre, seven supporters of the LTTE's former special commander V Muralitharan ('Col' Karuna) were shot dead at point-blank range, a Colombo report said.

Musharraf's word with Natwar: Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, during his meeting with Indian foreign minister Natwar Singh on Friday, said both sides should give up their 'maximalist' positions on Kashmir.

Afghan guards kidnapped by Tribesmen: Pakistani tribesmen took eight Afghan militiamen hostage along the porous north-western border with Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.

Clarke for aiding Muslim countries: Former US head of counter-terrorism, Richard Clarke, has urged aid for economic development and political openness in Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

Flood toll 227 in Bangladesh: Workers and volunteers frantically stacked sandbags to protect Dhaka from rising water as Bangladesh's death toll from this year's monsoon rains reached 227.


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