Iraq insurgents kill Japanese hostage, bombs claim 5 lives

An insurgent group, the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, said on Saturday they had killed a Japanese hostage seized in Iraq and posted footage on the internet showing his bloodied corpse. Japan’s Foreign Ministry and the hostage’s brother confirmed that the video footage showed the body of 44-year-old Akihiko Saito.

Meanwhile, near the Syrian border, two suicide car bombers detonated their vehicles close to a base manned by US and Iraqi troops near Sinjar, killing at least five Iraqis and wounding dozens.

A US military jury found Navy SEAL Andrew Ledford innocent on Friday of charges stemming from a 2003 incident in which his platoon beat a suspected Iraqi insurgent before handing him over to the CIA where he died in custody. The death of Manadel al-Jamadi is one of at least three suspected abuse cases involving CIA interrogators the US Justice Department is examining.