British Prime Minister Tony Blair says two British soldiers have been executed by Iraqi forces. Pictures of their bodies were shown on the Arabic satellite television station Al-Jazeera.
The death of the two soldiers was confirmed by the British Defense Ministry. It was Prime Minister Blair who used the word "executed."
"Day by day, we have seen the reality of Saddam's regime: his thugs prepared to kill their own people, the parading of prisoners of war, and now the release of those pictures of executed British soldiers," Mr. Blair said.
He spoke during a news conference with President Bush at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Washington. Mr. Bush also referred to the killings.
"They were murdered, unarmed soldiers, executed," he said. "I mean that is a war crime. But I am not surprised. This man, Saddam Hussein has tortured and brutalized his people for a long, long time."
Wednesday, al-Jazeera showed footage from Iraqi television of the two dead soldiers, stripped of their helmets and body armor, and surrounded by what appeared to be a cheering mob.