Two from Jerusalem, 3 Japanese, 8 Koreans, One British are kidnapped, the wave of kidnapping foreigners in Iraq

In a development which is the first of its kind in Iraq, armed groups yesterday, in separate operations kidnapped two persons from Jerusalem, one of them carries an Israeli passport, three Japanese and threatened to burn them alive within three days unless Tokyo withdraws its forces from Iraq, in addition to one British and 8 Southern Koreans one of them had fled while the other 7 were released later.

The Israeli mass media said that one from Jerusalem carrying an Israeli passport works in an American aid agency and another carrying the Israeli identity were kidnapped in Iraq.

The Iranian " the world" TV screened a tape showing the two men saying that their names is Nabil George and Yaqoub Razzouk and Ahmad Yassin Taqanai. The TV added that they were kidnapped by " Anssar Eddine " group which called for releasing all Iraqi detaineesas a price for freeing them.

Also seen was one Israeli identity card, one Israeli health insurance card and one Israeli driving licence and a driving license issued by the American state of Georgia and a student card issued by " Augusta faculty in Georgia.

Samir Razzouk, the cousin of Nabil Razouk told the Israeli army radio that his nephew is an employee in the American agency for International development and travelled to Iraq three months ago in the context of his work in the agency. he added that Nabil is carrying the Israeli nationality. Another cousin for Razzouk, called Antoine, gave similar information to the press, adding that Nabil is living in east Jerusalem and he is married to a Czech woman. Antoine said " I want to tell the Iraqis that he is not a spy not for Israel nor for the USA, he is an Arab, a member of the Arab nation, a Palestinian like me living in Jerusalem under the Israeli occupation." The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed news of holding Razzouk. In the report which was broadcast by the Iranian TV the two men introduced themselves as international relief workers.

Israeli security officials said that the Israeli intelligence ( Mossad) supervises the investigation in the Iranian TV report and that the Israeli authorities collect information avialable at Ben Gurion airport and is working through diplomatic channels to know what is taking place.

The kidnappers of the three Japanese said they belong to "Saraya al-Mujahideen." The Qatari al-Jazeera TV said that the kidnappers transported the Japanese to southern Iraq and despite that the Japanese government confirmed that it has now no plans to withdraw from Iraq.

As for the 8 Koreans, they are Christian clergies who came to Iraq on April 5, One kidnapped Korean woman was able to flee. She said later to the Southern Korean news agency that she and her colleagues were riding two cars on the highway which links Amman to Baghdad when gunmen stopped them 250 Km to the west of Baghdad.

Earlier this week, armed men kidnapped southern Korean relief workers during a fighting between the supporters of Muqtada al-Sader and the Italian forces but they were released and were not hurt.

Meantime, one official at the occupation authority said that one British civilian was kidnapped this week in al-Nasereyah city called Gary Telly, a contractor in Iraq, adding that efforts are being made to know his location, in information confirmed by the British foreign ministry but did not say what he was doing in Iraq and did not comment on the way of his disappearance. The British media said that " Telly 37 year old" is married and lives in the Middle East and was working in an American air base.