Russia confirms death of hostages in Iraq

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed the death of Russian hostages who worked at its embassy in Iraq, a day after an al-Qaida-linked group said it had killed the four captives. The group, the Mujahedeen Shura Council, had posted a video on a Web site that showed the killing of three of four Russian workers who were kidnapped June 3. A statement from the group said the fourth was also slain. "It is with deep pain that we report that the seizure of the workers of the Russian Embassy in Iraq has, judging by everything, ended in an irremediable way despite all efforts taken for the freeing of our people," the statement from the Foreign Ministry said. The kidnappers had demanded the Kremlin pull its troops out of Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia where separatists have been fighting for independence.