Iraq group slaughters National Guard soldier

DUBAI, May 6 (Reuters) An Iraqi militant group posted a video today showing an insurgent slitting the throat of a National Guard soldier in what it said was an ''execution by slaughtering'' for an alleged role in sectarian death squads.

''After interrogating him the bureau of law and judiciary of the Ansar al-Sunna group issued a sentence that this apostate be slaughtered to become a lesson,'' the group said in an on-screen statement before showing the beginning of the killing.

The man, who identified himself as Shawkat Hussein Saleh al-Jubouri, was kneeling on the floor, blindfolded and wearing an uniform.

Jubouri answered questions of an off-camera interrogator at gun point. He said he was a member of the National Guard then his interrogator asked if he belonged to ''the death squads?'', the young man answered: ''Death squads...'', but he did not finish his sentence when he was interrupted by the militant.

Jubouri then heard the sentence before a militant holding a knife in his right hand grabbed him by the hair and began to slit his throat. The rest of the killing was edited out by the group.

Before the killing the militant praised the mujahideen as ''wolves'', which in Iraq indicates bravery. His remarks in several parts of the video were inaudible.

Sunni Muslim militants say the country's Shi'ite-led government oversees death squads that seek to kill Sunnis or drive them out of Baghdad in a sectarian cleansing bid, a charge the government denies.

Iraqi officials have said that the movement of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr group was infiltrated with what they called ''rogue elements'' trying to sabotage the political process and were running sectarian death squads.

Anasr al-Sunna, a key Sunni Muslim insurgent group, has claimed several abductions and killings since the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

In March it said it killed an abducted Iraqi brigadier general for taking part in alleged attacks on Sunni Muslims.

REUTERS AB BD1444