Filipino Civilian Kidnapped In Iraq

8 July 2004 -- The Arabic-language television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a video yesterday showing armed men in Iraq holding a man identified as a Filipino civilian, whom they threatened to kill.

The video showed a banner giving the name of the militant group as the Iraqi Islamic Army. Al-Jazeera reported that the militants threatened to kill the Filipino contractor unless the Philippines withdraw their small force from Iraq within three days.

If genuine, the kidnapping is one among many targeting foreign civilians and soldiers in Iraq. Several previous kidnappings have also been accompanied by death threats and demands for troops to withdraw.

(AP/Reuters/AFP)