Insurgents beheaded Abduljabbar Saleh al-Juburi, the imam of Sansal village mosque near Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, outside his home early in the morning before setting his body ablaze, Major Firas al-Dulaimi said.

The 42-year-old father of three had returned to his Sansal home just months ago after fleeing in fear for his life, Dulaimi added.

Juburi had in recent years called for people to stand up to violent extremists and insurgents, and had received several death threats.

And in the provincial capital Baquba, four insurgents who disguised themselves by wearing women's clothes entered the home of a policeman but found only his wife, who they beheaded, Captain Mohaned Ibrahim said.

Confessionally-mixed Diyala remains one of Iraq's most violent provinces, even as attacks nationwide have dropped from their 2006 and 2007 peak, when the country was embroiled in a brutal sectarian war that killed tens of thousands.

Violence appears to have spiked in recent months, however, with July and August recording two of the highest death tolls since 2008, according to Iraqi figures.

earlier related report
Baghdad car bomb wreckage brings modern warfare to London
London (AFP) Sept 9, 2010 - The wreckage of a car bomb which ripped apart the intellectual heart of Baghdad went on display in London on Thursday as chilling evidence of the impact modern-day conflicts have on civilians.

The buckled and burnt heap of metal was salvaged from the March 5, 2007 attack on the historic Mutanabi Street book market.

The blast killed at leaest 30 people, leaving body parts scattered among the burning books, and was viewed as an assault on Baghdad's cultural life.

The car is being presented at the Imperial War Museum, surrounded by some of the most powerful military hardware of the past 100 years.

The exhibition, named "Baghdad, 5 March 2007", reflects that at the start of the 20th century, 10 percent of all casualties in conflict were civilians; the figure now stands at 90 percent.

During its time on display, the car will be the focus for a series of open conversations about the conflict in Iraq.

It is being presented by Jeremy Deller, the 2004 winner of Britain's Turner Prize, one of the world's most controversial modern art awards. It has already been exhibited in New York.

"It's unusual to see anything from the conflict in Iraq 'in life' so I was interested in being able to show this car to the public, initially in the US and now the UK," he said.

"I couldn't think of a better home for it in this country."

IWM director-general Diane Lees added: "We hope 'Baghdad, 5 March 2007' will prove a thought-provoking addition to our permanent collections and encourage visitors to consider not just this car, but all our exhibits, in a new light."

Mutanabi Street is an ancient centre of learning and culture and a rare diversion for the capital's war-weary citizens.

Iraqis regard Baghdad's oldest book market -- crammed with bookshops and frequented by writers, poets and artists -- as one of the most important centres in the literary world.

It was opened in 1932 by king Faisal II, and is named after Arab poet Abu Taib al-Mutanabi.

earlier related report
Iraq holds father and brother of US soldiers' killer
Tuz Khurmatu, Iraq (AFP) Sept 9, 2010 - The Iraqi army on Thursday arrested the father and a second brother of the Iraqi soldier killed after shooting dead two US troops earlier this week, a police officer told AFP.

Authorities said they were trying to understand Soran Rahman Saleh Wali's motivations when he opened fire on Tuesday, as hundreds of residents of the town where the assault took place attended his funeral.

Wali had fired on his US comrades, who were visiting the Al-Saadiq Air Base near the town of Tuz Khurmatu, north of Baghdad in Salaheddin province, killing the two Americans and wounding nine others.

He was shot dead in return fire.

Security officials said Wali shot them after an argument erupted, but there were no details on what sparked the row.

"The army arrested Soran's father and brother after police arrested his other brother (on Wednesday) to find out the reasons and the motivations for his shooting," said Colonel Hussein Ali al-Bayati, the police commander for Tuz Khurmatu.

Bayati said the inquiry was ongoing, but voiced concern that the shooting would "shake relations between Tuz residents and US forces."

Meanwhile, an AFP reporter said several hundred residents of the town attended his funeral at around noon (0900 GMT), with Wali eventually being buried in Tuz's Al-Shuhada cemetery.

Townspeople approached by AFP declined to comment.

Tuesday's violence, which also saw two US soldiers wounded in a grenade attack, and a firefight in Baghdad two days previously involving American troops, were a stark reminder that despite Washington's claim of a move to "stability operations" on September 1, its forces in Iraq remain at risk.

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