Iraq to World: Keep Diplomats in Baghdad
Iraq urged the world’s nations Friday to stand up to “blackmail” and keep their diplomatic missions in the country despite a claim by an al-Qaida wing that it killed Egypt’s top envoy. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in a Web posting that it had killed the Egyptian diplomat, Ihab al-Sherif, and warned it would go after “as many ambassadors as we can” to punish countries that support Iraq’s U.S.-backed leadership. “If the rest of the diplomatic missions from Europe and the neighboring countries give in, this means that all the capitals of the world will be subjected to blackmail,” Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba said Friday. Full Story