- BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's
Hizbollah guerrilla group condemned Wednesday the beheading of an American
hostage by Iraqi militants as an ugly crime that flouted the tenets of
Islam.
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- "Hizbollah condemns this horrible act that has done
very great harm to Islam and Muslims by this group that claims affiliation
to the religion of mercy, compassion and humane principles," the Shi'ite
Muslim group said in a statement.
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- An Islamist Web site Tuesday carried a video clip of
the execution of the man who identified himself as Nick Berg, with a statement
saying a group linked to al Qaeda did it in revenge for the abuse of Iraqis
by U.S. troops.
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- Hizbollah said Berg's killing had diverted the world's
gaze from an escalating furor over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by occupation
soldiers.
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- "The timing of this act that overshadowed the scandal
over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in occupation forces prisons is suspect
timing that aims to serve the American administration and occupation forces
in Iraq and present excuses and pretexts for their inhumane practices against
Iraqi detainees."
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- The Syrian-backed group which the United States deems
"terrorist" said the executors' behavior was closer to "the
Pentagon school -- the school of killing and occupation and crimes and
torture and immoral practices that were exposed by the great scandal in
occupation prisons."
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- Washington blames Hizbollah, whose attacks forced Israeli
troops to withdraw from south Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation,
for 1980s suicide bombings against its embassy and Marines barracks and
the abduction of Westerners in Beirut.
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