Al-Qaida group says to be responsible for killing of 10 US marines

Al-Qaida group in Iraq on Saturday claimed its responsibility for the Thursday killing of 10 US marines near Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite TV network reported.

The militant group, the Islamic Army, posted a video on its Internet site Saturday, showing what it said was an explosion against a US patrol near Fallujah that killed 10 US Marines, said al-Jazeera.

However, the Arab satellite television added that the video's authenticity could not be verified.

According to the report, the brief video shows a Humvee, flanked by what look like US troops, travelling slowly down a street when an explosion engulfed the vehicle, sending clouds of dust into the air and bystanders fleeing.

The US military said Friday that 10 US marines from Regimental Combat Team 8, the 2nd Marine Division, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed on Thursday and 11 more wounded by an improvised explosive devise (IED) while conducting foot patrol outside the city of Fallujah.

"The patrol was attacked with an IED fashioned from several large artillery shells," the military said.

Over 2,120 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion to the oil-rich country in March 2003.

As an insurgent group in Iraq with links to al-Qaida, the Islamic Army has been known for kidnapping and killing foreigners.

Source: Xinhua