Allawi Relatives Kidnapped, Beheading Threatened

A terrorist group called Ansar al-Jihad (Partisans of Holy War) kidnapped three family members of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and threatened to behead them if the assault on Fallujah isn't stopped within 48 hours. According to spokesman Georges Sada, a first cousin of the Prime Minister, the cousin's wife and another family member were seized.

"This is a close cousin - Allawi's father and his father are brothers," Mr. Sada said.

In another report, Caroline Hawley, in Baghdad with the BBC, states that the abduction of the Prime Minister's relatives seems to be the closest the terrorists could possibly get to him because security is so tight.

In other news, there is a curfew on the city of Mosul and its bridges are closed to civilian traffic.

Also blogging:
Backcountry Conservative,
Diggers Realm,
The Jawa Report,
PoliBlog.