The following are excerpts from an interview with detained Iraqi terrorists on Al-Arabiya TV that aired on January 10, 2005:

Terrorist 1: My name is Omar Fadhel Aziz Abdallah. The first operation we carried out was the killing of an assistant director of a hospital.

Interviewer: Which hospital?

Terrorist 1: The Al-Karama hospital. Kheirallah and Mustafa Bulqoza beheaded him. In the second operation, on Haifa Street, we killed another man and beheaded him. The third operation was in Al-A'dhamiya. There was a group that ambushed someone. We arrived with a car, put him in it, killed him, and beheaded him.

Terrorist 2: My name is 'Amer Fouad Ma'ruf, born in 1979. I was approached by a man named Haydar, who suggested that I participate in an operation. Saber sent him and said to him: "Make this offer, and if he refuses, threaten him." He made this offer to me and I asked for three days to think. He came back three days later and I told him I wasn't interested. He told that they would either kill me or…

Interviewer: How were you recruited? Who did you work for?

Terrorist 3: I was recruited by a close friend of mine - in the Al-Rahmaniya area - called 'Ali Jassam. He used to work in terrorist operations, and he asked me to join him on these operations but I couldn't. He subsequently tried to kill me several times. We carried out an operation. He gave me a hand grenade and told me to hit a convoy of the National Guard and the Americans when they passed by. This was the first operation I carried out, and I thank God that I didn't kill anyone.

Terrorist 1: One of the National Guardsmen - we beat him and took him with us - me, Kheirallah, Mustafa, and Ja'far. We took him to Mr. Hashem's place.

Interviewer: Who is Mr. Hashem?

Terrorist 1: Mr. Hashem is a man who lives in the Al-Sheik Ali area. People say he's not such a good man, that he drinks alcohol and gets drunk. He doesn't have a beard, and he drinks. We took the man to him, and he told us to hang him.

Interviewer: Where did he hang him?

Terrorist 1: In Al-Tala'e Square. He told Kheirallah to slaughter him.

Interviewer: Did it happen at night or during the day?

Terrorist 1: It was at night, Sir.

Interviewer: Did you feel that you are indeed fighting for your country?

Terrorist 1: No.

Interviewer: Resisting the occupation? How did you feel about these situations?

Terrorist 1: I felt that they were terrorist operations.

Terrorist 2: The first operation we carried out was killing this guy, Amjad, who was in the National Guard. The twins and I killed him and got five banknotes in return. Someone used to meet us at Al-Sheik 'Ali near the ruins. He would assign us operations and we would carry them out. He'd say: "The Emir sends his regards, but couldn't be here to meet you."

Interviewer: Who is "the Emir"?

Terrorist 2: The Emir is Al-Zarqawi.

Interviewer: He gave you messages from Al-Zarqawi?

Terrorist 2: Only verbally, since it was difficult for him to contact us.

Interviewer: What kind of messages did he give you from Al-Zarqawi?

Terrorist 2: He would say: "Carry out the Jihad for the sake of Allah."

Terrorist 3: I ask the new government to provide job opportunities for every Iraqi guy, every girl, and every citizen. Not a job that is politically oriented, just an ordinary job. Can I mention specific jobs? Construction projects, sewage projects, or manual labor. We are willing to do any job. We just want to make money and feed our families. We are losing our youth in operations like these. Today, young Iraqi men work either in terrorist operations, or in the National Guard. If a man works for the National Guard, he will be threatened or killed.

Terrorist 4: He gave me 75,000 dinars.

Interviewer: And for the second operation?

Terrorist 4: For the second one he paid me 100 (thousand). The third operation…

Interviewer: How did they determine the payment for each operation?

Terrorist 4: They didn't tell us. They'd just pay us.

Interviewer: So they would call you a few hours or days in advance and tell you to carry out a certain operation?

Terrorist 4: He'd call us a few days in advance and say: "I want you on a specific day."

Terrorist 3: I am crippled in my arm and left leg. I ask for mercy and compassion.

Interviewer: Are you married?

Terrorist 3: No, I'm young, born in 1986. I hope we will cooperate with the new government, and I ask for mercy and compassion.

Terrorist 4: I wouldn't do it, I told him that I wasn't interested, that I'm an orphan living with my mother, and that my father died in 1984. I have no brothers or sisters, and I support my mother. He told me: "I don't care about these things. I will kill you and your mother." You understand? He threatened me. I had to work with them.