Kuwait kidnap firm to leave Iraq

The kidnappers had threatened to kill the hostages

A Kuwaiti company has bowed to the demands of kidnappers in Iraq who are holding seven of its employees, saying it will halt operations there.

The little-known Black Banners brigade said on Thursday that it would release the men if their Kuwaiti employers pulled out of Iraq.

Three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian - all truck drivers - were seized in Iraq in July.

Negotiations to secure their release have broken down several times.

KGL spokeswoman Rana Abu Zaineh says the company has decided to halt all its activities in Iraq.

"We are confirming that we don't have any presence or operations in Iraq," she told the BBC.

Ms Abu Zaineh said she did not know when or how the hostages might be released but said she hoped it was very soon, possibly in the next few days.

"We are trying to find a solution that all parties can agree on," she said.

The kidnappers have threatened to kill the men if the Kuwaiti firm does not pull out of Iraq and if Kenya fails to remove all its civilian contractors who are working there.

Appeals

The Kuwaiti employers and an Iraqi mediator who has been acting as a go-between with the kidnappers have been trying to negotiate the men's release, but talks have frequently broken down.

The men were seized when their convoy of seven transport lorries entered a "prohibited zone" in Fallujah when it was stopped by the kidnappers.

Relatives of the three Indians - Antaryami, Tilak Raj and Sukhdev Singh - have appealed for their release, as has the Indian government.

Delhi also banned Indian citizens from going to Iraq.

None of the three countries has troops in Iraq, but nationals from each have taken haulage jobs for private companies.