An Iraqi militant group said today it had shot dead 15 National Guards it had captured last week.
The Army of Ansar al-Sunna, which has kidnapped and killed Iraqi soldiers in the past, said on its Web site that it had "enacted God's law" and shot the Guards "after they confessed to the crimes they had committed along with the crusader forces."
"Let them be an example to all those who fight God and his Prophet and help the Christians," the group said in a statement, referring to the US and other foreign forces in Iraq.
The Iraqi military said the Guards' convoy was ambushed last week on a western desert road in the latest insurgent attack on security forces in the run-up to Jan. 30 elections.
In October, the Army of Ansar al-Sunna claimed the killing of 11 abducted National Guards. The bodies of Iraqi troops and police kidnapped by insurgents often wash up on river banks or are found dumped in streets and orchards.
Meanwhile another militant group released eight Chinese labourers they had taken hostage and threatened to kill, as rebels attacked more Shi'ite targets ahead of January 30th elections.
A video tape produced by the insurgents and seen by reporters showed the Chinese standing or kneeling in two rows in the desert, holding their passports open for the camera.
A man with his face covered by a traditional chequered headdress then shook hands with each of the hostages before they walked off camera.
China's embassy in Baghdad later confirmed the eight had been released, China's official Xinhua news agency said.
On Tuesday, the guerrilla group holding the men said it would kill them within 48 hours unless Beijing - which opposed the war in Iraq - explained why they were in the country.
Rebels fighting US-led troops and Iraq's American-backed government have kidnapped more than 100 foreigners over the past year.
Around a third have been killed. They are also waging a campaign of suicide attacks and ambushes ahead of Iraq's January 30th elections, targeting Iraqi security forces, Shi'ite groups and election officials.
Late last night, a suicide attack on a Shi'ite wedding party south of Baghdad killed at least 11 people.
Witnesses said the bomber drove an ambulance filled with explosives towards the tent where the wedding was being held and blew up the vehicle. Local doctors said 11 people were killed and 27 injured, and the toll was expected to rise.
The victims were members of a Shi'ite tribe. Survivors said the final death toll could be as high as 25.