The head and body of a decapitated Westerner were found in northern Iraq today, Iraqi police said. The victim has yet to be identified.
Meanwhile matching fingerprint evidence indicates a decapitated corpse found in Iraq's Tigris river last week is that of 30-year-old Bulgarian truck driver Georgi Lazov, Bulgaria's foreign ministry said today.
Lazov was kidnapped by Islamic insurgents along with his colleague, 32-year-old truck driver Ivailo Kepov, earlier this month.
"The fingerprints of the first corpse that was found in the
river and those of Georgi Lazov are the same," said a spokeswoman
Iraqi police said today a second corpse has been found in the same region but the identity of that body has not been confirmed.
Diplomats in Baghdad are battling to win the release of three captured Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian after their kidnappers threatened to behead them one by one unless their employer pulls out of Iraq.
The kidnappers had initially said they were holding three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian. But video footage released today showed one more Kenyan hostage along with the other six captives.
The seven captured contract workers were shown yesteday in video footage sent to Arabic satellite channel Al Arabiyathat also showed masked gunmen reading out their demands.
Their seizure sparked a new hostage crisis just a day after guerrillas released a Filipino driver following Manila's capitulation to their demands.
Indian junior foreign minister Edaepakath Ahmad said New Delhi was doing everything it could to get the Indians freed.
"India has taken a stand of not sending troops to Iraq. We will only be extending humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people," Mr Ahmad said. He said he expected the captors to be sympathetic once they knew of India's position.
The guerrillas have also demanded that India, Kenya and Egypt withdraw their citizens from Iraq. None of the countries are part of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq but many of their nationals work as drivers and contractors.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka said no Kenyans were on official business in Iraq.
An Egyptian diplomatic source confirmed that an Egyptian truck driver named Mohammed Ali had been taken hostage.
On Monday, another Egyptian hostage was freed after his Saudi employer pledged to stop doing business in Iraq.