10 more hostages held in Iraq
2004-09-18 21:21
Cairo, Egypt - A militant group in Iraq claimed it is holding 10 hostages working for an American-Turkish company in a tape broadcast by the pan-Arab station Al-Jazeera on Saturday.
The previously unknown group, calling itself the "Salafist Bridages of Abu Baqr Al-Siddiq," gave an ultimatum of three days for the company to leave Iraq or it will kill the 10 hostages, the station's presenter said.
The Al-Jazeera presenter said the station received a copy of the tape but did not say how.
The group identified the company as American-Turkish, operating in Iraq, but did not give a name.
The station only aired a clip showing the 10 hostages, sitting under the banner of the group. The group didn't reveal the nationalities of the hostages, or where they were captured.
About 120 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq, and many have been killed by their captors.
Insurgents have carried out most of the kidnappings in a bid to drive foreign companies out of Iraq and thwart the US-led reconstruction of the country.
A video tape surfaced earlier on Saturday purportedly showing a British and two American hostages seized in Iraq, blindfolded and threatened with decapitation in 48 hours unless the United States and Britain free female Iraqi prisoners.
Al-Jazeera initially received the tape, said to be from militants of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group, and aired brief segments of it.
Later, the tape surfaced in full on a Web site known for its Islamic militant content.
In addition to the three, two Italian aid workers and two French journalists are among at least 11 foreigners currently held hostage in Iraq by different groups.
- AP