Iraqi activists threatened to behead a Turkish truck driver if his company and the Kuwaiti contractor it works for don't stop their operations in Iraq within 48 hours, according to a videotape aired on Arab television Saturday.
The video aired Saturday in Al-Arabiya came from a previously unknown group calling itself the Islamic Resistance Movement - Al-Noaman Brigades. It showed a bearded man, purported to be the Turkish truck driver, sitting in front of a black banner bearing the group's name in gold Arabic characters.
"We demand that the two companies stop these acts (in transporting supplies to occupation forces in Iraq), which make it necessary for those carrying them out to be killed," according to a statement read out by a suspected activist not shown during the tape.
"We warn all Turkish companies cooperating with (the U.S.-led) occupation forces to exit (Iraq) immediately or the head of (the driver) will be severed if these companies don't comply within two days from the issuing of this statement," according to the tape released by the group.
The voice heard on the tape mentioned the names of the purported hostage, his Turkish truck driving firm and the Kuwaiti company, but the words were inaudible. The tape also showed what appeared to be a Turkish passport bearing the hostage's photograph and a Kuwait-issued residency permit.
Meanwhile, the body of an Egyptian who was kidnapped in Iraq last month has been discovered in northern Iraq, Iraqi police said on Sunday.
Police, cited by Reuters, said the body was found in the town of Baiji, located around 112 miles north of the capital. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
