A Sunni Imam has been beheaded by suspected militants believed to have links with Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network near Baquba, about 50 kilometers northeast of the capital Baghdad.
Militants broke into the home of Abduallah Jassem Shakour in Saadiya east of Baquba city at day-break on Monday attacking him with knives in front of terrified family members. Later they beheaded him and placed his head on an electric pole.
Shakour, aged around 70, often called for national unity and forbade faithfuls from working for al-Qaeda in his sermons. This apparently earned him the hostility of insurgents who were fearful of his ability to swing the masses.
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