Margaret Hassan's Video Execution (Updated)

The British embassy in Baghdad confirmed on Tuesday that a video tape had surfaced appearing to show the killing of kidnapped British-Iraqi aid worker Margaret Hassan, and said it was probably genuine.

"We can confirm there is a tape that appears to show Margaret's murder," an embassy official told Reuters. "We believe it is probably genuine."


We'd all hoped that the fact that Margaret Hassan was a woman who had devoted her life to Iraq may save her life. Alas, no. The same monsters who behead their hostages and parade the videos shot Hassan in the back of the head. Mercifully she did not have to go through the agony of beheading, but that's small consolation.

As I said when Hassan was first kidnapped, it was just a matter of time before we'd be watching her death on the news. The video shows a blindfolded woman in an orange jumpsuit, similar to those worn by prisoners in Abu Ghraib, being shot in the back of the head with a pistol. All I can say is thank God it was a quick death.

When you doubt whether our presence in Iraq is just, remember this - humans don't do this to other humans.

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Update - for those of you who are looking for the video of Hassan's execution, I don't have it and I don't know who does. More importantly, why would you want to see it?

Second update - Rusty reports that the body of a woman found in Fallujah several days ago was probably that of Margaret Hassan. The limbs of the body had been removed, and she was mutilated beyond recognition. DNA tests are being run to verify the claim.