Iraqi rebels threaten to behead lorry driver

Iraqi militants have threatened to behead a Turkish lorry driver if his employers and the Kuwaiti contractor they work for don’t cease operations in Iraq within 48 hours, according to a video tape broadcast on the Al-Arabiya television station today.

The group, calling itself the Islamic Resistance Movement – Al-Noaman Brigades, released a tape showing a bearded man, purported to be the truck driver, sitting in front of a black banner bearing the group’s name in gold Arabic characters.

“We demand the two companies stop these acts (in transporting supplies to coalition forces in Iraq), which make it necessary for those carrying them out to be killed,” according to a statement read out by a suspected militant not shown during the tape.

“We warn all Turkish companies co-operating with (the US-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, which has not been heard of before.

It was not immediately possible to verify the tape’s authenticity.

The voice heard on the tape mentioned the names of the purported hostage, his Turkish truck firm and the Kuwaiti company. The tape also showed what appeared to be an identity card bearing the hostage’s photograph.

In a separate kidnapping case earlier this week, a tape showing three Turkish hostages being killed was sent to Al-Jazeera TV from the Tawhid and Jihad militant group, which is linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant held responsible for a string of bombings, kidnappings and other attacks in Iraq.

Militants waging a violent 16-month insurgency in Iraq have increasingly turned to kidnapping foreigners in an effort to drive out coalition forces and contractors. In the past week, militants have also killed an Italian journalist and 12 Nepalese workers, while seven truckers from India, Kenya and Egypt were released after their Kuwaiti employer paid a 500,000 ransom.