Iraq hostage 'moved to place to die'

Insurgents holding a Filipino truck driver hostage said today that he was still alive, but had been moved to the place where he was to be killed if the Philippines did not agree to remove their troops from Iraq, according to a video on the pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera.

The Philippines government said today that the kidnappers had extended the deadline hanging over Angelo dela Cruz until Tuesday night. The deadline had expired late Sunday.

Dela Cruz pleaded with the Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to withdraw the troops before they were scheduled to leave Aug. 20 so that he would not be killed.

However, he also asked that his body be delivered to his country.

The militant group, the Iraqi Islamic Army-Khaled bin Al-Waleed Corps, said it had done everything in its power to prove it had wanted to spare his life.

In the video, dela Cruz appeared to wearing an orange garment similar to those worn by two other hostages who have been killed: American Nicholas Berg and South Korean Kim Sun-il.