Iraq Guerrillas Target 'Traitors' Working for U.S.

[Judi Lynn]

Iraq Guerrillas Target 'Traitors' Working for U.S.
Thu August 21, 2003 05:01 AM ET
By Andrew Cawthorne

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Guerrillas followed an Iraqi translator home and put a bullet through his head because he worked for U.S. occupiers, the American army said on Thursday.

The killers left a note by the corpse threatening to attack more Iraqi "collaborators" after Tuesday's killing near the town of Samarra, north of the capital Baghdad.

"This was cold-blooded execution. They view all these Iraqis working with us as traitors," said Major Bryan Luke of the U.S. army's 4th Infantry Division.

Iraqi guerrillas have killed 62 U.S. soldiers since major hostilities were declared over on May 1, but are also targeting locals working with the 132,000 American troops here.

Translators are particularly at risk because they are often helping the U.S. soldiers with intelligence about supporters of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. (snip/...)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3313546