Brave soul.

Italian killed
Earlier Thursday, Italy confirmed the killing of Fabrizio Quattrocchi by kidnappers who, al-Jazeera said, threatened to kill three other Italian hostages who worked with him for a U.S. private security firm unless Italy withdrew its troops from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. FREE VIDEO


April 15: This Italian civilian was killed by his captors in Iraq. In a story filed before three Japanese were freed, NBC's Tom Aspell reports on the wave of kidnappings in Iraq.
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But Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed not to give in and to keep Italian forces in Iraq. “They have destroyed a life. They have not cracked our values and our efforts for peace,” he said in a statement read on state television.

With 3,000 troops, the Italian contingent is the third largest after those from the United States and Britain.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini described the tape, which was shown to Italian Embassy officials.

“This boy, as the assassins were pointing the gun at him, tried to take off his hood and shouted: ‘Now I’ll show you how an Italian dies,”’ Frattini said. “He died as a hero.”

The national trauma has at least temporarily unified Italy, which has been bitterly divided by his support for the war. “We must not recall our troops because a band of assassins have demanded it,” Francesco Rutelli, leader of a center-left opposition party, said.

“The vile blackmail by a band of criminal kidnappers must not be given the dignity of a political response. Italy is and must remain unified and together.”

Quattrocchi's death was recorded on a videotape received by al-Jazeera, the Italian government said.

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God bless his soul, and comfort his family. May the Italians not squander his bravery in political cowardess. Amen.