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A militant group said Wednesday it had kidnapped six foreigners, including three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian, in Iraq, threatening to behead them if the Kuwaiti firm for which they work does not pull out of the country, Dubai-based al-Arabiya news channel said.
None of those countries were part of the multinational forces in Iraq.
The Dubai-based television reported the news while airing a tape of what it said were the masked captors and their hostages.
"We announce we have captured two Kenyans, three Indians and one Egyptian. We tell the company to withdraw and close its offices in Iraq," said one masked man belongs to the group calling itself "Black Flags".
The captors also demanded that India, Kenya and Egypt withdraw their personnel from Iraq, vowing to behead one hostage every three days if their demands were not met.
"We have warned all the countries, companies, businessmen and truck drivers that those who deal with American cowboy occupiers will be targeted by the fires of the Mujahedeen," the group said in a statement, adding "here you are once again transporting, goods, weapons and military equipment that backs the US Army."
The gunman said their company should withdraw from Iraq and closes its offices there, threatening to kill a hostage every 72 hours if it does not.
The video showed an Egyptian who said his name was Mohammed Ali Sanad pleading with his company to leave.
The statement came a day after militants released Filipino hostage Angelo de la Cruz after his country complied with their demand and pulled its 51-member force out of Iraq.
Iraqi and US officials sharply criticized the pullout saying it would encourage militants to take more hostages to force trucking companies and other contractors to leave Iraq.
A wave of hostage-taking has tested countries involved in Iraq as an American, a South Korean and a Bulgarian have been beheaded by a group led by militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2004)
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