A kidnapped British journalist has told his captors: “I’m a journalist, I just write about what is happening in Iraq."

Militants in Iraq kidnapped a British Sunday Telegraph journalist in the southern city of Basra today and threatened to kill him if US forces did not pull out from the Shiite holy city of Najaf in 24 hours.

A British civilian was abducted from his hotel in the southern city of Basra, Iraqi police said today.