10 IRAQI CULT MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH

ten members of an Iraqi doomsday cult were sentenced to death for their roles in a January rebellion against Iraqi and US troops that left hundreds dead, police said. Najaf police chief Brigadier General Abdel Karim Mustapha said "10 leaders of the Soldiers of Heaven were sentenced to death, the rest were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 15 years to life." In January, the militant sect, dubbing itself the Jund Al Samaa or "Soldiers of Heaven," clashed with US and Iraqi forces outside the holy city of Najaf, three days ahead of the Shiite Ashura festival. The fighting left 263 sect followers dead, including their messianic leader Dhia Abdel Zahra Kadhim Al Krimawi, also known as Abu Kamar, who believed himself to be a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.