“All four were US civilians,” the official said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to their families.” The official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, would not provide further details on the identities of those killed, citing privacy concerns. The contractors were passing through central Fallujah when they were stopped by an armed group, who opened fire and set the cars ablaze before fleeing. Afterward a news agent correspondent saw two bodies, one of them headless, hanging by their feet from a bridge over the Euphrates River as locals stoned them. The White House condemned the “horrific attacks by people who are trying to prevent democracy from moving forward,” said spokesman Scott McClellan, adding: “But democracy is taking root.
