Iraqi governor of Anbar province seized.

Insurgents kidnapped the top official in Iraq's rebellious Anbar province as the deadline set by the captors of a Australian hostage Douglas Wood passed with no word on his fate.

Raja Nawaf, who only became governor of Anbar a few days ago, was abducted with four bodyguards on the road from the town of Qaim, near the Syrian border, to the rebel stronghold of Ramadi, his brother, Hamed Nawaf, said.
The kidnappers, supporters of the al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, are demanding Nawaf's tribe release some of the militant leader's followers it is holding, said Nawaf's brother and a member of the Ramadi city council.

Source

Sanc'.

The governor of one of Iraq's most dangerous provinces has been kidnapped by insurgents calling for an end to US operations close to the Syrian border.
Raja Nawaf, governor of the western province of Anbar, was seized at a roadblock between the town of Qaim and the provincial capital Ramadi.

The kidnappers later demanded that US troops pull out of Qaim, where the US says it has killed 100 insurgents.

BBC

Sanc'.

news.yahoo.com...

it looks like the Iraqis are fighting back against Zarqawi and he aint happy so he decides to kidnapped the governor of the tribe and the tribe has some of Zarqawi's followers.

Kidnapped Iraqi governor released.

Insurgents have freed the governor of Iraq's Anbar province after kidnapping him last week, an Interior Ministry official said on Sunday.

Raja Nawaf had been abducted with four bodyguards on the road from the town of Qaim near the Syrian border to the rebel stronghold of Ramadi by followers of Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, after a dispute with the governor's tribe, relatives had said.

Anbar province is the heartland of Iraq's insurgency.

Source

Sanc'.

I'm not sure where the confusion originated, but the above report is obviously wrong.

Abducted Iraq governor found dead.

The kidnapped governor of Iraq's Anbar province has been found dead along with his suspected captors after a clash with US forces.
The body of Raja Nawaf was found tied to a gas canister in a house west of Baghdad, a government spokesman said.

A US military spokesman said a helicopter had flown Mr Nawaf's body to the city of Qaim on Monday where his family had identified him.

No details are available about how the governor was killed.

BBC

Sanc'.

sorry, double post.

S.

[edit on 31-5-2005 by sanctum]

Hmm.. This story turned out to have some interesting government deception come foward.

May 10 - Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi, the newly appointed governor of Iraq’s Anbar province, was kidnapped by insurgents.
news.scotsman.com...

May 15 - Insurgents have freed the governor of Iraq's rebellious Anbar province after kidnapping him last week, an Interior Ministry official said on Sunday.
www.alertnet.org...

May 31 - The governor of Iraq's biggest province, who was kidnapped earlier this month, has been found dead along with his militant captors after a clash with U.S. forces, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.
www.reuters.com...



Condoleezza Rice was visiting Iraq in mid-May. Something positive had to show up in the news there to make her stay look better. Didn't turn out that way though.

[edit on 31-5-2005 by Frith]