Zarqawi threatens to avenge American bombardment of al-Qaem

Al-Qaida organization in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, threatened in a statement issued on the Internet to avenge for the American air bombardment which targeted the Iraqi al-Qaem city last Thursday and inflected at least 56 persons as killed.

Zarqawi claimed responsibility for bombarding mortars shells at the shrine of Imam al-Kazem in Baghdad on Wednesday that resulted in killing 7 persons and wounding other 36.

Nine Iraqis were also killed including 6 members of the Iraqi police and others injured in a series of attacks took place in Karouk, Beiji, Samera in north Baghdad and Karbala in the south.

In another development, the American army said that its forces killed a driver under the pretext that he did not obey an orders to stop in Beiji, north of Baghdad.