Militants in Iraq have posted a video on the Internet showing the beheading of an American abducted in Baghdad last week.
In the video, a masked militant says wanted terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi personally executed the hostage. U.S. officials say the hostage's body has been recovered, but released no other details.
The militant also warns that the other American and a British national abducted along with the beheaded hostage will be executed in 24 hours unless coalition forces free all women prisoners in Iraq.
Separately, aides to a top Shi'ite cleric say 18 captive Iraqi soldiers were freed by kidnappers who had threatened to kill them. The kidnappers had demanded that Iraqi authorities free a recently arrested aide to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Information for this treport is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.